"Actually..."

Joe and I are just beside ourselves with the funny instances each day when Ashley uses the word, "actually." It seems that she thinks she scores 20 extra credit points each time she properly uses the word.

So, it may be lunch time and she will begin by telling me she wants a sandwich with jelly on it, and then she will say, "actually mommy, I want peanut butter AND jelly on it." Or it may be us asking if she needs to go the bathroom. At first she says, "no" followed, by, "actually, I DO need to go."

She is also into making plans these days. She comes up with a plan and then asks, "does that sound like a good plan Mommy?" It is pretty entertaining, but I can see how careful we need to be so that she remembers her role, which is not to make the decisions of the mommy or daddy.

Jacob continues to be our mighty mountain climber. His current thrill is to climb whatever obstacle possible. Be it a piece of furniture (chair, picnic table, etc) or a deck or a person or whatever. He is pretty coordinated, but I fear how many times he is going to bonk his head in the mean time. Good think God makes these models tough!

Tonight his (and consequently my) joy was to put a cup on his hand in the bathtub and shake it at me. He thought this was the funniest thing ever. He would just laugh at me and then try to splash me in the water. I can see how God will use him to make me smile through the tough moments in the days, weeks, months and years ahead. Lord, thank you for our little Mr. Personality.

Texas Bluebonnets

In Texas, an annual tradition it seems is to stop somewhere beside a highway or freeway and take pictures during the peak bloom of the Texas state flower, the bluebonnets.

So, here are our annual bluebonnet photos:

 

 

 

 

Arboretum Trip

We went on a mini-adventure to the Dallas Arboretum with our friend Nichole today. We had a great picnic there and were reminded of our desire to go back again soon to play and roll and run in the fire ant-free grass.

Our precious ones:

 

 

 

 

Leadership

Someone made the statement to me the other day, "You cannot lead if you are comfortable."

What do you think? I welcome feedback.

Not enough time...

"I can't seem to get everything done," or "There just aren't enough hours in the day," are such common phrases we hear from the mouths of people we know and don't know, as well as ourselves. It seems we've nearly all resolved ourselves to "being too busy" to get everything we "need" to do done.

In a recent study I was reminded of the reality that God created each day with 24 hours in it. And, when He did this, He knew exactly what He was doing. He created each one of us with a purpose. And again, He knew what He was doing. He has given each one of us a mission. And, you guessed it, He knew what he was doing.

God has not set us up for failure. He has not called us to the impossible, but yet the possible. Consider the reality that THERE IS ENOUGH TIME in each and every day to do exactly what the Lord has called you to.

And if you don't believe this...let me remind you of the story of when God "stopped" or expanded time. Joshua was called by God to fight the Amorites. While in the midst of the battle, He asked the Lord to make the sun and the moon stand still. And do you know what? God did exactly that. God held the sun and the moon in place for nearly an extra day. God can, has and does make time enough for accomplishing His purposes through our lives each and every day.

Read the excerpt below:

Joshua 10:12-14

12 On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel:
"O sun, stand still over Gibeon,
O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon."

13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on [a] its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a man. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!

So, next time you find yourself about to mindlessly blurt out, "I just don't have enough time to..." dare to re-consider your statement, re-evaluate your calling, and re-establish your priorities. Though some of our "shoulds" may need to be tossed out the window, I am convinced that you'll find that you do, in fact, have enough time to accomplish His purposes for your life.

Awkward moments...

So, my very curious, now 3 year old has become interested in trying to understand the different shapes and sizes of people. While we were at a store yesterday, a very, very, seriously large woman walked by. "Mommy, why does that woman's tummy look like that?," is what I hear come from my daughter's mouth. Wanting to dive into the nearest hole, I quickly responded with, "Because God made her that way," and grabbed Ashley's hand before the word F-A-T came out next. To make matters worse, we kept encountering that same woman throughout the store over and over again. Oh my.

So, what else have people said in response to their kiddos questions along these lines? I was trying to be truthful to Ashley and extend grace to the woman in my response, but upon further reflection, I realized that God really doesn't intend for most people to be that large. Hmmm...so what is a truthful thing to say in that moment? We had talked earlier in the morning about how all people are special and equally valuable to God, whether they are fat or not. So, I don't think the "value" aspect is an issue. I think kiddos are just trying to figure out the world, people, how we are alike, how we are different and why. It's not personal, but as the person receiving that comment, I'm sure it just plain hurts.

Transformational Gum

What is with the transformation that happens in a child when you give them a piece of chewing gum. I've begun letting Ashley chew gum on occasion (which has actually been 3 times in the past 5 days or so) and every time she gets on a "valley girl" demeanor. Her head cocks to the side, her lips begin smacking, and, well...she turns "blonde." Where does this come from, I ask myself? Is this what we adults look like when we chew gum? I'm thinking not, but perhaps we really do? Does she perceive that this is the "grown-up" attitude that should accompany gum?

Any insight would be great. Perhaps nobody else's children have experienced this unusual metamorphosis, but if/when your child does, please let me know what happens. Is there some weird chemical in there?

BTW, Happy 3rd Birthday to Ashley tomorrow. We have thoroughly enjoyed the past three years with her in our lives. We look forward to each special day ahead that God grants us together as a family. Her sweet and loving spirit, her excitement over the little things, her ability to talk one's ear off, her true love for other people and her growing love for the Lord are all aspects that make her so sweet and so special. Ashley, we pray you will be a leader among many and that your capacity to love others will only grow and grow and grow. May others come to know Christ because of the amazing, loving spirit He has placed within you.

Is Jesus in your heart?

"Is Jesus in your heart?"

That is the question Ashley asked me yesterday morning as we were sitting in her room playing together. I told her that He is in my heart and asked her if He was in hers. She said that He wasn't in hers yet.

Then, tonight, she was sitting in the chair and said, "Jesus, will you come into my heart." I know her concept of who God is, is still small, but isn't all of ours, really? May these seeds grow into spiritual trees with roots that run deep and fruit that attracts many for the sake of Christ and spreading His gift of freedom to others.

Joe and she have been talking about this quite a bit recently during their prayer time together in the evenings. I'm so thankful for a husband who is committed to teaching our children about our loving God...and who is committed to living and expressing in a loving way as well. Lord, may you mold and capture the hearts of both of our children, as well as any others we may be blessed with in the years ahead.

Fully Man

The reality of Jesus being fully man has been mulling around in my mind quite a bit for the past few weeks. So often, we think of Jesus as super-natural and fully God...but we dismiss or forget that he was fully man. He truly was tempted in every way that we are tempted. He felt every type of emotion we feel. And yet, in such circumstances, by God's grace and presence, he never sinned. He chose to be obedient to the Father. Even though he felt all these things of the flesh, he surrendered his will (and he had one that in human nature, was very similar to our own) so that God's plan could be fulfilled through him.

Jesus never sinned, not because of supernatural power, but because of an unmatched commitment to living the life of a fully yielded servant.

Lord, please help us to live more and more yielded and surrendered to Your will each day. In the areas where we are not laying down our wills, our lives, our preferences, our "last word," our pride, may you reveal such to us that we might change.

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 4:14-16

"Mommy, how do I throw up?"

For some reason, Ashley has decided tonight that she needs to throw up. She told us this while we were in the vehicle earlier this evening. We gave her a plastic bag to use if necessary. She kept it with her, but never did anything. Then, right before we put her to bed, she wanted a garbage can to throw up in. Then she wanted to go throw up in the kitchen garbage. I told her she could. When we were there with the kitchen garbage can, she looked up at me and asked, "How do I do it?" I told/showed her (mostly emphasizing the importance of aiming correctly-an effort to minimize any clean-up for me). She then "tried" and spit in the garbage a few times.

What in the world? She's obsessed with throwing up today. I'm thinking, if you are asking how to throw up, you are not really feeling sick. What a silly little faker...at least I pray she is faking it. There is a garbage right beside her bed, just in case.

Good times...

Happy Easter to all!