It's me again...

Friday the 13th has always been one of my favorite days.  I know, I know, most people think of superstitions or bad luck, or whatever...But I've always loved this day.  Maybe it's because I was born on the 13th and always loved when it fell on a Friday.  It somehow made it more special to me.  I remember one year, as a very young teenager, my birthday fell on Friday the 13th.  My parents let me have 13 girlfriends spend the night (I'm a parent now...having that many girls sleepover in itself is a nightmare) and my dad rented every "Friday the 13th" movie out at the time (5 or 6 of them, I think).  We stayed up all night eating snacks and cake and watching those horrendous movies.  My brother happened to be visiting that weekend and reeked all sorts of havoc, sneaking in and scaring the living daylights out of us.  Good times, good times!


I know that's totally random, but it came to mind as I was looking at today's date.  It's funny the things we remember as we look back over the years.  Things that seemed so small at the time become the things we cling to later.  Those little moments with your parents, sometimes wanting to be somewhere else with friends, you would now give anything to have back.  The years pass by so quickly now.  Ha, remember as a child thinking the school year was NEVER going to end!??!  Remember your mom or dad telling you, "Just wait until you're older..."  Wow.  I mean, wow!  It's 2012!!!  We're getting close to Marty McFly stuff here, do you realize that!?!?  That's just crazy!  (And on that note, where are the flying cars or cool hover boards?  Just wondering?)


Just saying 2012 makes me chuckle and shake my head.  Didn't we just get into 2011?  So my thought right now is cherish the moment.  Don't be so inclined to rush on to the next goal, the next obstacle, the next .....  Those moments with my dad years ago that I would give anything for now, I need to be making those with my kids!  I know there will be times when they don't want to spend time with me, where they choose their friends over their dad and me, where we're not "cool", but someday, hopefully, they will look back and cherish these times. Prayerfully they will look back and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we loved them more than life itself and that our decisions were made for their spiritual, physical and mental well-being.  


But not just our kids, what about friends and family?  We get so caught up in the business that is life that we forget to just stop and relax and laugh and enjoy others.  Vegas is so different from the South.  We hung out with our neighbors, we had neighborhood BBQs, we didn't worry if our kids were going down to the park to play.  Everyone is very reserved here, you come home, go in you house, close the blinds and lock the door behind you.  I felt awkward the other day when I had to go ask a neighbor for an egg...I wouldn't have thought 2ce about that in Rogers (of course we built a house and some of our best friends bought the house next to ours, so that helped...but that's beside the point).  What has happened to community?  It seems so non-existent here.


I've had the pleasure of going to lunch this week with some girlfriends.  It's been so nice to just stop the daily grind and sit and laugh.  I'm a much better person after those times.  I can get away from the never-ending laundry, the dishes, the laundry (oh, wait, I said that already), and just be a person.  I don't want to take those times for granted.  I want to treasure those moments.  I want to cultivate them.  When it's all said and done the laundry will still be there, the dishes will eventually get done, the dust...well, I'm in a desert.  Do I want to be the person who couldn't have people over for fear of what they will think, do I want to not enjoy my kids' youth because "I'll play with you after I'm done doing ......"  


I fear I'm becoming that person.  I don't want to be that person.  I don't want my kids, or my family, or my friends, to ever think I've put them below anything else worldly.  God has called my family to Vegas for a reason.  I say "in everything I do I want Him glorified above all."  But saying that and living it are two totally different things.  If I'm called to "go into all the world and make disciples", if I'm called to be "a light in the world", then I need to be out there, with people, I need to be with my children, guiding them, I need to live my life every day as if Jesus were coming back tomorrow... Unashamed of my faith, unafraid to share His love, unhindered by all the limitations I put on myself.  


People.  Relationships.  That's what matters to Jesus.  If it weren't, He wouldn't have left His throne in Heaven to come to a broken earth to die.  What matters to God should be what matters to me.  


So I know this post is completely random and rambling, but as I set down to write it just seems like this is what decided to come out.  Nothing earth-shattering, not that any of my blogs ever have been, just some off-the-wall thoughts of a possibly insane 30-something in Vegas...  So come on over, let's do lunch, or coffee, or tea, let's chat... Just don't run your finger over the table tops, you'll find dust, and don't look in the sink, there may be dishes.  My kids' toys may be scattered all over, and there's an extremely good chance there's a mountain of laundry needing to be done, but that's okay, because my resolve this year is to make my relationships a priority.  

It's been forever

I used to be so good at keeping this thing updated, I don't know what happened.
I can't believe we're already into November!  Where did the year go!?!  
I began my yearly "month of thankfulness" on Facebook yesterday.  As I'm doing I think, "Why is this just a once-a-year thing?" I said it today on FB and I'll say it again, I am so thankful God's faithfulness to me is not reliant on my faithfulness to Him.


Speaking of being grateful, I am really excited to see the fruition of a long-time dream;  I have started my own photography business.  I had my first official session a couple of weeks ago and have had several other sessions scheduled because of that one.  It feels SO amazing to be doing something that I absolutely love!  I know there is much to learn and things I will continue to develop with time, but getting here is awesome!   My website is a real work-in-progress, but it's up and running.


Halloween was good.  The kids' school parties were fun (Though helping prepare for and execute 2 parties was exhausting).  We went trick-or-treating in our neighborhood with some friends and everyone really raked in the candy.

JD and BFF, Cade

We're really fortunate JD has made some really good friends with families we love and trust.  I always remember growing up it seemed like all the "cute boys" were friends...maybe it's just inherent because JD has 3-4 best friends and the group of them are some of the "cutest" boys in the school, lol.  Poor girls, they don't stand a chance!

Jungle Soldier

My handsome soldier

Cora and Hailey

 Cora was Wicked Witch of the EAST...Pre-house-dropped-on-my-head phase ;)

My beautiful Wicked Witch

My Wicked Witch and Soldier

Our Trick-or-Treating Group

My sweet little boy

Last night as I was going into the kids' rooms to tell them goodnight JD reached for me and said, "I need love."  I hesitated only a second, thinking of the things I needed to do.  I quickly came to my senses.  He won't ask for "love" forever, probably not even for much longer, so I pushed my busy mind aside and crawled into bed beside him.
As I lay there I started thinking of how his birthday is Tuesday.  He will be 10.  10 years old!  Double-digits!  Where did a decade go!?!?  As we cuddled I started mulling over a blog.  I would start very similarly to what I did here...I would talk about the 42 hours of labor, the c-section, seeing him for the 1st time...I would muse over my sweet boy, how fast he's growing up, what a great person he is turning out to be...you know, the usual "bragging mom" stuff.  I lay there pondering and then I was interrupted because he stole my phone.  As I tried tickling him to get it back he started yelling something, but I couldn't understand him because his face was buried in his pillow. And then it happened---He pooted.  Loudly.  Right on me!  He proceeded to laugh hysterically and say, "I tried to warn you!".

Yep, he may still be my sweet little boy, but he is definitely his father's son!

He Rocks!

Well, in honor of Father's Day I'm writing a post about the best dad in the world.  Now, in the past I have written posts about my own daddy, who was, indeed, the best daddy I could have every asked for, but I am going to honor someone else this time.
God truly blessed me when He placed Jake in my life.  As I look back it seems strange in this day and age to have started dating your future spouse when you were 15 and 13.  My son is about to turn 10.  Thinking he could possibly meet his future spouse in 3 years freaks me out just a little, I have to admit.  But, I realize the chances of that are slim.  The LORD set Jake and I aside for each other from the beginning, though.  I am convinced that no one else on this earth could possibly be the right fit for either of us.

I thank God daily for placing Jake in my life.  HE continues to mold him into His image.  Jake is a man of the utmost faith, integrity and respect. He is not only the spiritual head of our household but shepherds our church as well.  Many of you know he is a bi-vocational pastor; this means he holds down a full-time job outside of the church so we can pay the bills and so I can be a full-time mom.
The sacrifices he has made for our family are beyond words, but he never complains.  Often times he is up well into the wee hours of the night finishing up things for the church or work so he can spend his evenings with the family.  He puts the kids and me 2nd only to Christ. 

Those who know him know what I'm talking about. 

He is such a people-person.  He wants nothing more than to see  the world come to Christ.  If he could spend every waking hour sharing the love of Christ with others, that's what he'd do.  I don't know if he realizes that he already does that, just by the way he lives his life!  He is such an inspiration to me, such an incredible example for our kids and for our church.  He is a true man of God.

Though he will be embarrassed when he reads this post, I just don't tell him often enough how much I appreciate all he does for our family.  JD and Cora were blessed with the best daddy they could have!  I was blessed with a best friend, leader, lover, provider.....Truly the other half that makes me whole.
I'm reminded of the song, "God Gave Me You" by Dave Barnes.
"God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I’ve lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you"


All my love, God truly gave me you!

An Incurable Condition

I was listening to a short broadcast today about a little baby named Joseph.  Joseph needed a tracheotomy, but the hospital he was at would not give him one.  The reason?  He had an incurable condition.  They were going to remove his ventilator and send him home to die.  He would eventually die anyway, so he was deemed unworthy of saving.
(They asked to be transferred.  He did eventually get transferred to a hospital in St Louis, where he received the trache, was able to come off the vent and was able to go home, alive.)
But what struck me as I was listening to this is that we all have an "incurable condition".  We are all going to die do to this condition.  The condition?  Sin.  There isn't a single person on earth born without it.  Our sentence?  Death.  But thanks truly be to God He didn't deem us unworthy of saving!  He loved us so much He sent His Son to die in our place. 
There is a catch, however.  You have to accept this gift.  Jesus wants nothing more than offer you life eternal.  But the choice is yours.   To accept this gift of life, you just have to ask.  Admit your incurable condition: sin, and ask Jesus to forgive you of those sins and come into your life and save you. Turn your death sentence into eternal life.

She gets it...

So there are some new things to share with you about our ministry here in Las Vegas.... but I'll get to those in a different post.  This post is for Cora.  Of course, she would be embarrassed if she knew I was posting this, but that's okay.  Sometimes moms have to share how proud they are of their kids.
As most of you know, someone tried to blow my jeep up 2 weeks ago.  We don't know why.  We're hoping and assuming it was just a random act of violence and had nothing to do with our family.  Either way, it shook me to the core.  What got me the most is that I park directly under Cora's bedroom window.  Had it actually blown up....well, I can't even process all of that.
God took care of us, however.  He had a very strong wind blowing that night and the fire went out just before hitting the gas tank.  The jeep had to be repaired, of course, but nothing too major and no one was harmed. 
Why do things like this happen?  Why do horrible things happen to seemingly good people? ....
People asked how the kids were handling it.  Did we tell them? Yes.  Were they scared or upset?  I don't think so.  Etc. Etc. Etc.  JD thought it was cool when the CSI showed up, put up crime scene tape and took DNA from us to compare it to any they found on the vehicle. 
We also got all sorts of people asking, "So you have any enemies?" or "How did THAT happen?"  One man stopped me in the car line while I was dropping Cora off at school.  He apparently has a Commander just like ours and was wondering what happened to the side of ours.  I told him and then dropped Cora off and left.  Well, it turns out he was the photographer there to take school pictures that day.  When Cora got home she told me that when she went in to take her picture he recognized her and started talking to her.  She told him about our church and what we believe.
I really wasn't sure how Cora was feeling about the whole "car blowing up" situation until we went to pick it up from the body shop on Friday.  Cora and I were standing there waiting on the man to bring us the papers to sign.  Cora was looking at the area where the burns had been then looked up at me.
"Mom?" 
"Yes?"
"I'm kinda glad this happened to the jeep."
"You are?  Why" 
"Because, if it hadn't happened I would have never gotten to tell that man about our church and about God."  "Well, God even uses bad things for His good."
"I know."
 I don't think I have ever been more proud, more excited, more humbled as a mom than at that moment.  She gets it.   She gets what it's all about...Why we're here in Las Vegas instead of in Arkansas with our family.  God has a plan for us.  God has a plan for Cora!  Even in the tough times, even in the scary or unknown, He is there, working.  He sometimes allows bad things to happen so that He can show His power and His glory through them....
Even through an 8 year old little girl....with more wisdom than many adults.

The Meaning Behind the Words

How many times have you heard a song on the radio, even sing along with it, but if someone were to ask you what the words were, you really don't have any idea?  I think this happens more often than we realize.  We do this in church as well.  We sing along with the choir or worship team, but don't really pay attention to what we're singing, we don't listen to the meaning behind the words.
I have to admit, I am guilty of this.  I get into a rut.  I hear the same few songs over and over and because I "know them so well" I don't really let them sink in, I just sing the songs.  I think most of us can say we're guilty of that at some point or another.
My daughter, however, is a different story.  Our car radio is permanently tuned to SOS (one of our local Christian radio stations, similar to KLRC, for those of you in AR).  I love listening to my kids in the back seat, singing along with the songs.  Their voices are so pure, so sweet.  What I love even more, however, are the conversations that are sprung from these songs.
Cora listens to everything.  Whether you think she's paying attention or not, she is.  She tunes in, even when you don't want her to, and asks questions when she doesn't understand.  This can be a good thing and a bad thing at times.  It is a great thing when it come to the music we listen to.
Anytime a song comes on the radio, it never fails she will ask, "What do they mean when they say.....?"  This leads to a great conversation about God's love, about forgiveness, about praise--whatever the case may be.  I have to admit I often have to bring my head out of my own little world and actually start paying attention to the song so I can answer her. 
Today she wanted to know what was meant by the phrase "7 times 70 times".  We had a great discussion about forgiveness. 
But all these questions lately really made me stop and think, these people wrote these songs for a reason---and I am EXTREMELY thankful our radio station is tuned to SOS and not some secular station, where I might have to explain things she really doesn't need to know.  

"If you're not going to mean it, don't sing it." I remember hearing this at church several times throughout my life.  But, oh, to have the faith and curiosity of a child!  To want to understand the meaning behind the words, to search out the answer, to use these songs to strengthen your praise to the Father.  Not to just sing along with the radio or the worship team, but to truly stop and reflect on why they are being sung!   When we sing "praise and worship" songs at church, are we really praising and worshiping?

I have a few things to say on hymns as well....but we'll save that for another day.  Until next time....