New Understanding From An Old Verse

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,  so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
Phillipians 1:9-11

This has been one of my favorite verses since college.  I memorized it then and have referred back to it many times.  

This morning I am alone at home still recovering from the Bubonic Plague or something similar and God led me to this verse again and then I looked it up in The Message.  I love how God can take a verse you know and 14 years later make it brand new.  The Message says...

So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.

Beautiful.  This is my life prayer.  I pray that I can learn to love in this way.  I have been able to watch my husband love a neighbor this way this week.  Stephen was discerning, bore fruit, made Jesus attractive and glorified as he loved our neighbor.  He didn't just provide what the neighbor thought he needed but took two nights to disciple him in life and the Lord.  In the end Stephen did meet the neighbor's physical needs but also his spiritual needs and practical needs as well.  It is an ongoing relationship.  God used that experience to show me what the love He is talking about looks like.  

My prayer for 2014 and on is that I will learn to have a love appropriately with a discerning heart (that is not always how we think it should look), that I will bear bountiful fruits from the SOUL, make Jesus attractive to all, and get everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.  

The Underground World of Dog Parks

I feel compelled to let all you kind people know about an underground group of crazies out there.  Dog Park People.  No one ever warned me and so today I unwittingly fell into their strange underworld and it is scary people.  This group left reality long ago.  I felt like I was stuck in Best In Show.

This is how it all came about...  Stephen bought a rocket at Hobby Lobby (no, he is my husband, Drew is my son) and we were going to today to set it off with Aunt Lauren, Wes, and Shance.  There is a big field close to our house that has a baseball field and park so we chose that as our destination.  I was about to put Eliie, our dog, in her crate and Stephen said to just bring in on a leash.  I am trying to train her to be on a leash because she fights it and just lies down.  So off we go.

When we get there Ellie is doing okay on the leash and I just want to get used to it being on her.  We decide that the best place to launch is behind a fenced in area.  We go into the fenced in area and I am watching the kids and talking to Lauren and realize that it is a dog park but there is only one dog.  I can tell the man really wants to hang out so I chat for a minute with him but try to make it obvious that we are having family time.  Our whole group is in the far corner with Ellie when a new woman comes in and walks up to me and says "

Crazy Lady #1: "Why is your dog on a leash?".  I wanted to say "noneya" but, I didn't
Me: "she is still getting used to the leash and she runs away".
Crazy Lady #1: "Not in here... snicker"  (Call me stupid but with all going on this moment is when I realized that we are completely fenced in and it still doesn't change my plan because we are there to follow the rocket not chase Ellie.
Crazy Lady #!: "My dog won't hurt her, he wants to play. She wants off her leash".
Me: "What is your dog's name?" 

I am still not getting it... I think I am here for my kids to watch the rocket and I thought this was MY dog.  I just  moved farther down and kept talking to Lauren and the kids.  By this point there are about five dogs there.  Then a new and far crazier lady appears and comes out of her way to approach me.
CL #2: "Why is your dog on a leash?"
Me: "I want her stay with me".  (For real we weren't trying to be in a dog park.  I was there for my kids, not my dumb dog.) 
CL #2:  "Well, you are creating a lot of anxiety for her.  She sees the other dogs unleashed and it creats anxiety in her."
Me: "okay, thank you"
CL #2: "I am saying, I would take her off the leash if I were you.  See, she is friendly and wants to play."
Me: "Okay, thank you"
CL #2: "I mean she is going to be anxious." (walking away)

In all fairness I realize I had a dog in a dog park But come on... Who are these people that feel so overcome for Ellie's psyche that TWO strangers had to come up to me? 

I imagine that these people stand around comparing vets, organic dog treats, and doggie daycares.  Who knew parenting real live children would come with less condemnation that parenting a dog?  More drama happened as we left but this is too long already and THAT is a whole other story for another post but ended with a man calling us "Dumb and Dumber" and then backing down and saying he wasn't talking about us.  I almost had Stephen hold my earrings so I could take 'em all out.  In a loving manner of course.

So, in conclusion, do not go to a dog park.  Even on accident.  I think they were all on bath salts or something.

My heart... take it or leave it

I have no intention to make people upset so if this offends you I am sorry.  I am also thankful that I live in a country where (at least for now) I can express my beliefs.  I understand that not everyone will agree with me and that is okay.

This whole Duck Dynasty controversy has saddened me.  I am sad because we live in a world where Christians have allowed the nonbelieving world to silence us.  Phil was being interviewed and expressed his beliefs.  I support him that he was true to God's word.  Now please read the rest of this blog in light on this sentence: I believe that God has called us to love others.

Now how that love looks is what makes me disagree with what I have read so far on Facebook and popular blogs.  I believe in the inerrant Word of God and therefore, Matthew 22:37-40 "Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.   All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  Due to this verse and many others I believe in showing love to others and loving them as Jesus would.  However, there are two equally important measures to this:  Grace and Righteousness.  With only Grace you get chaos, with only Righteousness you get legalism.  All bad.  Which is why God, in His wisdom, provided both under the arch of LOVE.  If you truly love you will provide grace when it is needed and Truth of righteousness when needed.  I have heard it said "If we are not careful we will love them (any nonbeliever) into hell".  I want to say Amen to that.  Because I love, Jesus first and then others, I will speak the Truth in love and call sin a sin.  I pray that when I am falling into sin and another person sees that they will love me enough to tell me Truth.  I have purposely chosen for friends people who I know will do this.  I realize that we can be talking about nonbelievers here but I think the same applies to them.  Why?  Because sin has consequences for all whether you believe in Jesus or don't.  The consequences may be different but there are consequences and I want to love people enough to try to help. What they do with the Truth is up to them.

Please understand that I don't mean this at all irreverent.  I feel as though our culture tries to wussify Jesus.  We are quick to talk about love and the come to church and get a hug mentality but, have forgotten that Isaiah clearly tells us that in the throne room "Holy, holy, holy" is what is called out to God.  God could have chosen any of His attributes called out to Him in His throne room and what did He choose?  His holiness.  I am not down playing God's love but I believe our culture has downplayed His holiness.  Jesus was no wall flower.  He loved and He demanded righteousness.  He caused quite a scene to those who turned His Father's house into a place of business.  He overturned their tables and ran them out with a whip.  He was passionate about the holiness of God.  

Whether it be homosexuality, abortion, or any other hot topic we as Christians need to be loving enough to speak the Truth.  Be careful not to let our culture silence us.  I have struggled with this topic recently.  It is hard to love the sinner, not the sin.  So I think we swing even more towards love because it is so hard to speak the Truth in love.  We think well I will just love him and he will know I am Christian.  At some point we need to tell them about our Jesus.  This is me preaching to myself.  I pray that we, the church, will be loving and stand for Jesus and His Word.  I pray that for myself because I struggle with it.

Just because

I am reposting this picture because it makes me laugh until I cry.  Every time.  Stephen and I were just looking at it and he said "That was a year ago, look at how much more hair I had".  That made me laugh even harder because he could have had his head on fire and I wouldn't notice because all I am looking at is that tooth.

Oh, that tooth.  He got it fixed the next day.  He looks handsome now.  But, that day was hilarious.
Stephen just said I should have put it on our Christmas card.

Here is my other favorite reposted picture...

It's A Secret...

Charis told me last night that she wishes we had three kids in our family.  I am hoping their birthday present will fill that void for her.  We are bringing this baby home for them on their birthday.  It is a secret!!!  I can't wait!  It will be so hard to wait a whole month.  Stephen and I keep looking at her picture.  I don't think I could handle the whole overseas adoption thing.  Once they sent me a referral picture of a real baby I would die waiting because I dying over a DOG. 

Remember no telling.  I can't wait to see their faces when we bring her out.  She is a Cavalier King Charles.  I love her. 

Friends

I love these people.  They are almost four and that hurts me.  I didn't expect four to hurt.  In interest of full disclosure there have been days in the last three years that I have thought "will kindergarten ever come?".  Don't judge.  I am just being honest.  But, now that Pre K is looming out there, Drew is getting tall, they write letters, ride balance bikes, and are real KIDS I would love to go back for a day when they were babies.  Thankfully they still cuddle. 

I love that they are best friends.  Charis will cut anyone that messes with Drew and that includes teachers that reprimand him (which he needs at times).  On our walk today Drew abandoned his bike on the sidewalk and ran up to Charis to hug her and then ran back to his bike.  He needed a hug.  Tonight they somehow convinced me that they would sleep if I let them sleep in the same bed.  We will see how that goes.  I still hearing whispers...

Advent

I love the Christmas season.  It is such a  busy time for our family.  Stephen and I unwittingly crammed every major life event into December.  Or actually the week of Christmas.  We have our kids' birthdays, Jesus' birthday, and anniversary all in the same week.

I love the preparation of the Christmas season.  Last year was our first time to celebrate Advent and I really enjoyed it.  I got an Advent Tree at Target last year.  I made a list based on our calendar and events and the kids get to open the door each day to find out what our activity is for the day.  Sometimes it is easy like read a book, other days it is more time intensive.  The point of Advent is a time of expectant waiting or preparing for the Savior's birth.  I think that Christian holidays are such an important part of discipling our children and that is why I love Advent.  I posted our Advent list below for funsies.

1-        Read Christmas book

2-       Make cookies

3-       Shoebox items

4-       Decorate your tree

5-       A Journey Through Bethlehem

6-       Take muffins to fireman

7-       Santa craft

8-       Buy Daddy present

9-       Read book

10-     Christmas movie

11-      Ice cream cone trees decorated

12-     Give hot cocoa and gift to trash man

13-     Give hot cocoa and gift to mailman

14-     Charis/ Drew buy gift for each other

15-     Go look at Christmas lights

16-     Make ornament

17-     Play with manger

18-     Prestonwood show or make Christmas cards (check ticket prices)

19-     Pajama Dance party to Christmas music

20-    Charis and Drew tell the Christmas story on camera and we watch

21-     Play with fake snow

22-    Happy Birthday Kids!  Celebrate with family!  Read a Christmas book

23-    See Santa

24-    Happy Birthday Jesus Party and church

25-    Merry Christmas!  Our Savior is born… check the stable