I HATE Potty Training!

I've broken my chain. I had said that I would blog everyday, but it's been since last Friday that I've blogged. Saturday was busy, but I had planned to make up for that on Sunday.

As we pulled into the church parking lot Sunday morning, Dean said...

"Well...we all have 2 weeks left to live"

I laughed and told him that it was actually depressing to think about that! And the night before, I went to bed thinking about what my final few hours would be like on this Earth. I was thinking for MY benefit, I would want to lay down in my bed, with Dean holding me, and my kids jumbled up next to me, and go to sleep. Honestly. That's how I would want to spend my last couple of hours in this life.

Then I got to thinking how my kids would wake up from that...and never want to sleep again...and I hated to even think further about it, so I gave in to the fog that was overtaking my brain, and drifted off.

My point is this: I believe that this is one reason (only one) why God won't reveal to most of us when our last few hours are going to be. We would likely be torn as to how to spend them!
Do we selfishly hold our family in our arms? Or do we crawl off somewhere by ourselves to die? It's too hard for me to think about, and quite frankly, this study is extremely hard to wrap my brain around.

Because who among us thinks they only have 30 days
(or 13 days now) left to live?
We can't fathom that we're not even promised the next breath!
Much less plan to die in less than a month's time!!
.

Quite simply put...we think we'll live
for a very long time on this planet.

Even though God didn't promise us that.

Having said all that, I AM more grateful just thinking that the next 13 days could be my last. But in reality, today could be my last. That's all up to Him!

So let me fill in the past 4 days for you...

I started to potty train Luke on Monday. He went through NINE new pair of Elmo underwear. No way was he going to pee pee in the potty! Never mind that he has used his potty more than a few times already...

That's one of my biggest PAINS about raising a toddler. Potty training. I HATE potty training. Basically, toddlers are going to pee pee in the potty when they get good and ready to. And not one second sooner! And anything traumatic happens (like you yell at them or pop their hinny on the 6th pair of wet underwear)...you can forget it. They'll leave you wondering if you'll have to buy diapers for kindergarten! Ever heard of the toddler's creed? That applies to ALL aspects of "toddler-hood"...

If I want it, it's mine. If I give it to you and change my mind later, it's mine. If I can take it away from you, it's mine. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine. If it's mine, it will never belong to anybody else, no matter what. If we are building something together, all the pieces are mine. If it looks just like mine, it is mine.

Someone clipped this out of the paper when one of my other kids was going through the toddler stages, & I have remembered it ever since. It's a SCREAM!!! Describes most toddlers to a "T"!

In other words...it IS my potty, but I'll use it when I DECIDE it's time to use it, NOT when YOU say it's time for me to use it...

Thus, I HATE potty training. It's more an exercise of the "will's".

I've got a truly wonderful potty training story for you before I shut down the presses for today:

My beautiful, smart, and very talented daughter Summerlyn is strong-willed. As in...James Dobson WROTE THE BOOK just for her! Imagine potty training a child who would get mad, throw herself in the floor, and wet her pants...just to get back at you for not doing what she wanted! So I was struggling, needless to say, with the whole potty training effort with Summerlyn.
My Mom, who lived 2 hours away at the time, decided she was coming for a visit...with a brand new pack of princess panties. When my Mom would come to Charlotte, NC to visit us, it was shopping time! We'd hit every TJ Maxx and Marshalls within a 30 mile radius. And considering that there were 4 TJ Maxx stores and countless Marshalls stores in and around Charlotte, it was an all-day shopping spree!!!
She arrived before lunch that day, and we set off...with Summerlyn in a dress and her "big girl princess panties" only. For some crazy reason, Summerlyn did not challenge my Mother in wearing those. She wasn't happy, but she didn't fight it when Mom pulled them on her. So here we are, walking around TJ Maxx & More at Concord Mills, with Sum-Sum in a buggy. Next thing we know, there is pee pee running down the buggy and all over the floor.

"No problem", my Mom said. "Go get some papertowels, Carmen"

Mom cleaned Summerlyn up, and changed her panties right there in the shopping cart, while I, of course, mopped up the urine with the paper towels.

And we went right on shopping.

Like my daughter had not just PEED in the floor of TJ Maxx,
with customers shopping all around us.

This type of thing went on throughout the day. But by the time we got back home that night, Summerlyn was using the potty. I don't know what happened with her that day. Maybe she resigned herself to being trained. Maybe she sensed that my Mother is much stronger-willed than she is. Or maybe she just got tired of pee peeing on herself. Who can say? What I DO know, is that she never went back to the diaper after that day.

So maybe Meme needs to come help Luke. Of course, he thinks the Elmo underwear are cool.
He's not the slightest bit concerned about pee peeing on himself...or the carpet...or the furniture. He's only concerned about "the spanker"...which is another blog on another day-HA!

Bless him, but before he can go to school, he will have to learn to pee pee in the potty. And before he dates & marries...he'll have to know how to potty properly! Right now, however, sweet, cutie-patootie Luke is more concerned about Kung Fu Panda, than he is using the potty.

And Luke's Mom is more concerned about losing her mind during this potty training season...or did I lose it with the last one?...or the one before that?...or even the one before that one?...maybe the one before...that...

I CAN TELL YOU THIS: If I knew I had 13 days left to live...
I would NOT spend one second POTTY TRAINING!!!!!

A Guilty Parent

"My daughter & I are having a very hard time getting along as she gets older. And sometimes I don't even like her", a friend was telling me last night, "I feel guilty about that".

Parenting can be so harsh at times. The ugly 'ole devil desperately wants us to parent with a guilty conscience. If he can convince us to parent our children out of guilt, he knows something we often don't...the high cost that is billed to our children as a result of parenting that way. See, feeling guilty towards how we acted or reacted will cause often cause us to go against what we KNOW to be the best thing for them. And compromise leads to destruction...devastation...death.

Parenting out of a sense of guilt is sinful.

Now before you decide that I've really lost it this time, consider this scenario:

A Mom who has suffered the heartbreaking tragedy of delivering a baby that lived a few hours then died, discovers a short time later that her husband, who was her high-school sweetheart, is having an affair. Along with suffering from the loss of her baby, she's dealing with humiliation from the unfaithfulness of her husband (who happens to be chairman of the deacons at their church), and the knowledge of that unfaithfulness throughout their community, as they are both prominent figures within their church and the local school system. Consider the anguish that this precious woman is enduring. Consider the overwhelming sense of loss she must have experienced during this time in her life. And consider that she has a 3 year old toddler to raise in the midst of this present storm. The father of that toddler turns back to his family, but spends a lifetime trying to make-up for past mistakes...both with his wife and with his son. Thus leading him to parent out of guilt. Guilt for not being there for his wife during the loss of their 2nd child. Guilt for having an affair with another woman. Guilt for compromising truth for untruth, and not being the man that God called him to be. Guilt for choosing to not support his family. And a wife that will spend a lifetime struggling with all of these things. That guilt causes the father to "let things slide" with his son, that should have been corrected. That guilt reminds the father to "go lightly" on the son, even when the son has clearly and blatantly done wrong. Why? Because not only does the father have to struggle with his guilt, he must also struggle with his wife's inability to move past his failures. So the wife spends her parenting days attempting to fill in the gaps with her son, not allowing the father to teach their son discipline...taking away much of the father's authority.

Guilt-parenting can ruin a child's life. To avoid this trap that the devil has inconspicuously laid out there for us, we must understand authority. And we must understand that punishment is good, and obedience & discipline are even better.

In Genesis chapter 1:1, it says, "In the beginning God...". God established His authority with the first 4 words in the Bible.
God IS. Period.
That's all He had to say in order to establish the truth about His authority. God IS, and He always has been. There is no other entity that is before Him. Everything created falls under His authority. And by-the-way..

He's not a creation. He just IS.

In chapter 3:23, we see God's authority in action. He had already cursed the devil, set the woman in her place, and punished the man. But God didn't stop there. In verse 23, God "sent him (Adam) away from the garden of Eden to work...", verse 24, "He drove man out...".

God did NOT say, "Oh I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you about the devil" OR "I know it's tempting, so I'll give you one more chance" OR "I wouldn't want to be cursed, so I'm not going to curse you"...and He definitely didn't say, "It's not your fault...you didn't ask to be created, so I'm not going to hold you responsible for doing wrong".

As much as His heart hurt for Adam and Eve, God did not waver on His authority and discipline in their lives. And because God ALWAYS "sticks to His guns", we have Jesus, and we have the gift of eternal life if we choose Christ. Aren't you glad that God's word is never broken?

While I was never a kid who enjoyed getting punished when I had done wrong, I am so glad that my parents didn't "lighten up" on me because they were parenting out of guilt. I had a great childhood...not perfect-nobody's is...but great. And I've always tried to make my little one's childhood experience a great one. But like anyone else, I have struggled at times with not wanting to enforce discipline with my children, because I love them and would rather have all positive experiences with them. Problem is...that's not showing love to your kids.

It's like overeating.

If you don't discipline yourself...
exhibit self-control, you will overeat and be overweight and unhealthy.

It's not good for you!

How can you love your body...love who you are...and not take care of yourself?

Loving your children means preparing them to meet the challenges that life will certainly send their way. Life WILL be brutal at times. And if you haven't prepared your child to handle that, what kind of price will they have to pay? If you've parented them out of guilt, so that they don't really understand authority and discipline, do you really think they will respect authority when they are adults? I think not! Will they know how to use discipline to their advantage as adults? Not if you haven't helped them understand discipline as a child!

In saying all this, I must point out that when Adam & Eve disobeyed God, He not only disciplined them, but He punished them as well.

Discipline IS punishment, right?

Actually, the word "discipline" has 6 definitions. It's the context in which discipline is used that makes it punishment...or instruction...or self-control...a field of study...training...or a rule.

Take another look at Genesis. In verses 16-19, God lays out the plan of punishment for the devil, Eve, & Adam. "Because you have done this" He says to the devil serpent. "I will intensify your labor pains" He says to Eve (THANKS EVE!). And "Because you listened to your wife's voice and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'Do not eat from it', the ground is cursed because of you." God said to Adam. It's a punishment felt through the ages, no doubt!

Here's a bit of discipline for you---"...He stationed cherubim with a flaming, whirling sword to guard the way to the tree of life". God had to put the cherubim there to keep sin out. Discipline for the people! God basically said, "Dude...since y'all can't stay away from it on your own, I'm going to post guards to keep you from my ultimate punishment...which is an eternity without me".

God sure loved Adam & Eve a lot. And He loves us a lot. In fact, He loves us with his own son's life. What a gift!

And He expects us to extend the same knowledge to our children. Love them by disciplining them. That's how they learn. They must understand your authority over them as a parent.

Do you understand God's authority over us? Take a few minutes to check out the book of Genesis...and Exodus. It will help you start to understand why God couldn't just make excuses for Adam & Eve's sin. You'll have a better grasp on why authority and discipline are so important.

And during those difficult growing times, when you may not even like your child...you can still show them love by being firm.

And guilt-free.

A New Year

Call me a party pooper, but standing in Times Square with a million people in -2 degree weather doesn't sound like "the greatest party on earth" to me! What it does sound like is a good case of itchy hives. And I'm getting better about the hives!!!
What in the world would possess a person to stand out in freezing temperatures for 10 + hours, waiting for a gigantic crystal ball to drop?

Do they think that their future is found in that ball? Do they think they have a shot in a million of being on tv? Do they believe they'll have better luck in the new year if they attend this traditional celebration?

I believe that I'd not only itch, but probably freeze to the pavement. It's doubtful I'd be able to feel 3/4 of my body. And what does that crystal ball hold for me? Absolutely NOTHING!
On most years, I enjoy the comfortable warmth of my fuzzy house socks on my comfy couch, with my zebra blanket. This year, I watched a movie with Tyler (after putting Luke to bed), and then I "turned in" around 10:30pm at Dean's request. By 11:30pm, he was begging me to go watch the ball drop. I guess he'd heard enough details about my day. And considering he has to get up at 6am and go to work in the morning, he was likely wondering if he'd get any rest at all! Of course by then, Tyler had gone to bed, too, so I watched the ball drop...and watched all those people acting crazy in freezing temperatures in Times Square...alone.
I noticed something, too. The crowd was off. Usually, you can't even see the road because there are so many people. All you normally see is a wide path of people going down the main drag of New York's Time Square. But this year, I saw a whole lot of pavement...still lots of people, but lots of pavement, too.

Why IS that?

Could it be that this wretched economy caused people to stay home? Or maybe people really do freeze in negative TWO temperatures...even in Times Square. Maybe some people had to work on New Years Eve, because they have to pay their bills, and are in no position to skip working when they can earn extra moolah. Could it possibly be that some people have learned that the big crystal ball holds nothing for them...?

In any case, attendance was off in Times Square this year. Other things took priority.

What things take priority in YOUR life?
When it all comes down,
what excuses do you have
for the way you prioritize your activities?

There will come a day when The Creator of all things will host a party...a homecoming. If you think Time Square is "life changing" (as directly quoted by Taylor Swift tonight)...YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET!!!
This party will not be lacking anything! Family...friends...even streets made of pure gold! And MAN-OH-MAN, is God gonna lay on a spread!!! The likes of which you've never seen!!!

And as His children, we'll be the guest of honor! We'll wear robes made of the finest material ever known to touch mere mortal flesh. We'll be as pure and perfect as any angel. And we'll be surrounded by the biggest life changing warmth of all...our Heavenly Father...our Prince of Peace...our King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. And all those who love Him.
Times Square can never compare. In fact, nothing we have ever participated in on this planet will come close to the party that our God has planned for us in Heaven!

Will you be there?

Will you rearrange your priorities in order to seek Him? Will you explore the endless possibilities at your fingertips as a dearly loved creation by an incredibly loving Creator?

Will you be there or will you make excuses to miss the party?
This party is truly a life changing event! It's the party to END ALL PARTIES! And God has extended an invitation to you, asking for your presence. In fact, He's gone further than that.

He has spared no expense for you to come,
and for you to receive the brightly wrapped gift
that He gave up so much
to make sure you could open.

Will you be so busy looking out for yourself that you just can't fit this divine event onto your calendar? Will you be out chasing down the next best thing? Will you be working on fulfilling the latest dream?

Will your priorities be so out of whack
that you forget to RSVP?

We can accept the invitation. Even those of us who think we have it all together. Even those of us who know Him, but have chosen to push Him off to the side and take care of our whims instead of diving into our relationship with Him. And especially those of us who may believe in God, but choose to end it there...
with no commitment to Him.

You've often heard the phrase "life is what you make it". Guess what? The party is what you make it. Your relationship to God is what you choose for it to be. You can accept Him or deny Him. RSVP or not.
And the party, like the commitment is NOT on YOUR terms. But believe me...you wouldn't want it to be. Because none of us could ever make this life what God can, and will make it!

Make a fresh commitment to Him
to go along with starting a New Year.

Now THAT'S an experience that's truly "life changing". And you won't have to weather freezing temperatures to have fun!!!

Happy New Years!!!

New Years Resolutions

I'm sure we've all had 'em before. I'm sure we've all had good intentions with them before. And I'm sure we've all broken them...way before we should have...maybe even before we got started...

Resolutions.

Specifically...NEW YEARS resolutions.


I've never been one to MAKE New Years Resolutions. Because I know if I make them, I'll break them. Good philosophy, huh? If you know you're going to fail...just don't try! HAHAHHAAA!!! Not exactly what God has in mind, I'm sure!!!

The last New Years resolution I made was 2 years ago. I decided to spring for something easy. Printing pictures. I got the idea from my beautiful and well-organized friend in SC. Better known as "my Sherry". Sherry had decided that she was going to dive into her pictures (the year before), and she got most all of hers in albums and finished. Simple enough...or...NOT!

My Friend didn't have several THOUSAND pictures on her computer that needed to be printed out. 6 years worth, to be exact. Do you know what that cost at $.28 each? It's a lot of Lean Cuisine, for sure. And more diapers than my baby will use over the next year!!!
So I got started...and made it through approximately 4 orders...at anywhere from $40 to $90 per order. Then a birthday came along...a vacation came along...a trip to Target intervened...and I saw a new top on Ebay that I just HAD to have. Thus...the picture printing ceased and was left "on the back burner"...forgotten.

That was 2 years ago.

NOW...I'm several thousand MORE pictures behind. Did you hear me? SEVERAL THOUSAND. And too broke to print them all out. So if I were to make the New Years resolution THIS YEAR, to begin printing them out...it would probably take me 2 more years to complete them.

Or maybe it would take me 3 or 4 more years...considering that I could see another top on Ebay...or take another vacation (yep..in October again...to Topsail Beach)...or encounter another birthday (you KNOW that's gonna happen!!!!). And WHAT THEN? Is this all about commitment? Or is this just a hobby that will take the rest of my life to complete?

And here we are...starting a new church-wide study next week, entitled, "One Month To Live". It asks the question,
"What would you do if you were given only 30 more days to live?".

Pictures are a treasure I'll never grow weary of. But I doubt I'd care much about them with only 30 more days to live! I'd need at least a thousand and thirty more days just to "catch up" the printing of my pictures!


Thank God that He doesn't break HIS resolutions...uh...He doesn't make resolutions.

And before you throw up Webster's 1st definition of "resolution", letter b, to me (b: the act of answering : solving), let me remind you that God already has the answers and solutions to every problem we have ever had, every problem we have right now, and every problem we could ever have...He IS the solution.


Back to what I was saying...

He doesn't make resolutions...only promises.













And He keeps EVERY ONE!














Happy Birthday Jesus...
and thank You for another New Year!!!

She Said What?!

There's a wonderful Bible passage that says "What does it do to gain the world and lose your soul?"...and I knew that in this moment in time, in my lifetime, I would have lost a piece of my soul had I not stood up for him.

This quote is from someone the world admires to a fault. In fact...it's someone the world is crazy about. It is...

Oprah Winfrey, commenting on her support of Barack Obama...the man we now know as our next President of the United States. And I hope he realizes that he is not in control.

Another blog on another day.

This is a prime example of how ungodly people twist God's Word.

So Oprah backs Obama...that's her prerogative. So she is racist...that's also her choice. But beware, folks! When we take God's precious Word and twist it up to fit our own agenda, we are parading around on very thin ice.

God's Word is NOT to be twisted, manipulated, or misinterpreted.

It's GOD'S Word...not the words of man. Inspired by God in the hearts of those who penned it. The hearts invaded by A living God.

How would you like it if someone twisted your words? Manipulated your statements in order to fit their intentions? Misinterpreted the truth of what you said...?

And did so with the support and participation of millions...

In case you haven't picked up on the fact that I am NOT an Oprah fan, guess what?

I'm NOT.

I haven't been for yeeeaaaaarrrsss. I'm not a fan of anybody who is so arrogant about their own power, while giving no credit to the One who has allowed them to have that power...the very One who gifted them to do far more in this old world...

than to lead millions down the path of hell.

Sound harsh?

Then stop reading.

The truth can be harsh sometimes. The truth can be a hard pill to swallow. But I'll take The Truth over The Lie, any day of the week.

And I'm very passionate about my disapproval of people who boldly misrepresent God and His Word.

His Word has saved my life. His blood was shed to cover my sin. His life was sacrificed so that I might have a future and a hope.

"I still believe in a place called Hope!", Oprah says.

So do I.

And it most definitely isn't found in the humanity found on this Earth, myself included.

My Hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus blood and righteousness.

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesus name.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand

All other ground is sinking sand.

All other ground is sinking sand.

Would you like to know what Matthew, Mark, and Luke said in the Gospels?

"What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world,

yet forfeits his soul?" (Matt 16:26, Mark 8:36, Luke 9:25)

The question is asked of how beneficial it is to us if we gain it all at the price of our soul...? If we have money to burn, power to yield, and love to give & receive...but we're enslaved to the things in life that make all that possible...what have we really gained?

Where does all of our earthly power, and where do all of our earthly possessions find us in eternity? Are we willing to give up an eternal life with our Creator, in order to give in to the things of this world? To reject His BEST for us on this Earth and in the end wind up with nothing? 'Cause that best may or may not include the riches...the power, and the fame that we may have now.

But it sure doesn't include our arrogance towards The Creator...the Giver of all things.

When it all comes to an end

at the point in life where we take our final breath...

what legacy are we leaving behind?

That we were rich and wore all the latest fashions? That we were always well spoken and well groomed? That we worked hard and developed great ideas? That we donated millions to poverty? That we were well educated and had popular friends?

How about that we were a great Mom? A wonderful community leader and volunteer. Someone who sacrificed self to serve others. A person who earned an honest living and took care of their family.

While any of these comments may reflect a positive legacy that any of us would like to be remembered by, if we do not have a relationship with Christ, we will still "forfeit our soul". How?...you might ask.

Because without a personal relationship with Christ, we will lose our soul. Period. And I didn't come up with that "wonderful passage".

God did.

To give credit where credit is due, God did instill in Oprah the desire to give. And she seems to joyfully use that gift. But Oprah needs to stop disrespecting God's words by melding them to fit her image. A good dose of God's truth would be wonderful for her! If she only understood the truth of Who stood up for HER in the biggest historical trial in 2,000 years...she wouldn't care about losing her soul over a historical election.

And I'd be willing to bet she'd give up her gain of "the whole world", to lose her soul to the One Who gave it to her in the first place.

Thank God, there's a place called hope.

It's found in the blood of Jesus.

Are You Chasing Anything?

There is...

so much on my mind today.

I barely know where to start.

I guess that's what happens when you go 2 weeks without blogging...as I've said many times...to blog is to attend a therapeutic class of some sort. Getting it all out feels good!

Demons.

We're all a little afraid to even read that word, huh?

But demons are a part of everyday life. One I absolutely hate and wish weren't there, but a part of it, all the same. Let's take a peek at what the dictionary defines the term "demons" as...

Yea, yea, we all know the first meaning, "an evil spirit". What about this one..."a source or agent of evil, harm, distress, or ruin"??? Ever heard the term "chasing my demons"

or "fighting my demons"? A day or two out of my life, I've felt as if I was "fighting my demons". In saying that, I speak specifically of fighting the source of harm and distress in my life. Not in my present stage of life, mind you. But far back in my past. My former stage of life. The one where I chose to disobey God. The one where I chose to take on sin that I would never be able to pay for.

That source can be presented to me in various ways. The one I've struggled with recently, are a couple of dreams.

Dreams of what happened THEN, coming back to happen NOW.

Interestingly enough, the past is the past, as far as God is concerned. In fact, He forgives us of all sin, as far as the East is from the West. That's infinity, folks. So we should never have to think about our previous bad choices again, right?

Wrong.

Ever heard of consequences? Those can be tough to deal with. Especially when the devil uses them against us. Those consequences become our demons. And the devil presents them to us in a haunting way. Ah! But I do have hope!!!

It's all in our minds!!!

Does that sound hopeful? Seriously. The battle is in our minds. When God says that He forgives you as far as the East is from the West...He means it. He will NEVER bring up old sin to remind us of why we fight certain demons.

Guess who does that?

The devil.

So how do we battle the thoughts that run through our mind? It's simply, actually. We saturate our minds with His truth. We study His Word. We ask Him to recondition our minds to look forward and not back. We recognize that when our "demons" start chipping away at His truth, that those demons come from the master of demonics himself...Satan. We recognize the fact that the devil is trying to mess with us yet again. Only then, can we put the devil in his place. We can remind the devil that he has absolutely NO authority in our lives. That the WAR has already been won. And that...

he loses.

PRAISE GOD!!!

We can then choose to believe the devil, who roams the Earth in defeat, or believe our God, Who created the universe AND us, and Who has all the answers to life. That same God Who has already defeated the enemy.

Your choice is to fight your demons...or

let God fight them.

He's already won. Those demons have already been conquered. They have failed. And now...

It's up to you to trust God or wallow in the pain & failure that consequences may bring.

Wouldn't you rather focus on how gracious He is in our failures?

Demons...Schmemons...

More To Life?

Between the kids starting school, filling out the oodles of paperwork (3 times over!), and fighting back a migraine, it's hard for me to believe it's ONLY Wednesday!!!
I honestly have to say that I was tickled for the kids to go back to school this year. Usually I'm complaining about how short the summer is...and having to get them up early...and running to school and back each day...but THIS year, I'm not complaining at all.
Even though it was a nice summer...
I'm tired! I was ready for a break.

So as I walked in the door of my "peaceful" home at 8:30am on Monday morning, after seeing the girls to class and meeting their teachers, etc...
I felt as though I could take a deep breath without being interrupted. HA! That feeling lasted a few seconds before my 20 month old heartily (that's for you, Amanda!) reminded me he was there! So what about that deep breath? Do we ever really get it?

Maybe when we're sleeping!

Or maybe you don't have kids...perhaps your kids are grown...maybe you only have 2 or 3 kids...a VERY different story with 5 kids ranging in age from 20 mos to almost 18 years old!!!! I have to admit that I have it better than a lot of Moms with this many. Luke takes a good 2 hour nap each day, so I do get to do whatever it is I think I need to (Ebay is open 24-7). And generally speaking, I can do things around the house as long as I don't mind hauling an extra 23 pounds around on my leg! A good workout, I suppose.

But as the current song on my blog says,

"There's got to be more to life"

And there is!

It's called a relationship with Christ. Of course, you only gain more in life if you're willing to maintain that relationship. That's hard sometimes. The last thing I feel like doing after a day of cleaning house, lugging around that 23 extra pounds, being a chaffeur, cook, Mom, friend, problem solver, referee...did I mention WIFE???...pig slopper (I really like this part!)...you get the point...is to sit down and read my Bible or even talk. Really, I just want to sleep...or escape MY world into the world of a good James Patterson murder investigation. That's definitely what the flesh tells me to do. As if I don't have a responsibility to anyone in my home to maintain my relationship with them...much less maintain my relationship with God. Tough sometimes, huh? Just admit it. We're all human.
But then I miss the revelations that God gives me. I miss the perspective He shows me. I miss the little ways He speaks to me throughout the day. It's like missing your best friend because you grew apart...or moved away...or death dissolved a relationship that was important to you.

Do you view your relationship with God that way?

We're currently studying prayer in Sunday School. It's all about talking to God. Sometimes we come to Him with our faces to the ground. Sometimes we come to Him needing a friend. Sometimes we just need our Father. Sometimes we're just tired. Tired of being tired.

God settles that for us. He gives us purpose. Even when we're 80 years old and have lost the love of our life. Even when we feel as though our days are plain old boring...if we feel defeated...if we're at death's door...if we love Him and feel as if we have no direction. Even when God's plan for us at 60, is a complete change of location and responsibilities...when we are the ripe old age of 30 and aren't married or even dating. Even when we have chosen to stay-at-home with our preschoolers and take care of our family...instead of working outside the home. WE HAVE PURPOSE! But what you have to realize is that our purpose ONLY comes from God.
If we will invest in our relationship with God, things won't be so crazy. Life will be incredibly more productive. Not a rose garden, mind you, but if you know Him, you're never without hope! Never without purpose! And the purpose we have...the reason we are here...why we even exist...is

TO KNOW CHRIST AND TO MAKE HIM KNOWN.

He provides our purpose...our reason to go on. In everything, there is a purpose.

Okay, so now I can take that deep breath. It may not be uninterrupted, but I realize that my 20 month old and the way that I care for him & our family IS God's purpose for me.

And that extra 23 pounds really IS a good workout!

Painting the Town, Blue & Brown

Most of you know that I'm not crafty. And I don't lose sleep over knowing that about myself. One of my closest friends, Lisa, made sure that all of my MOPS mommies knew about my lack of creative skills, when she visited and was our special speaker at our December MOPS meeting last year. Since then, I've been teased A LOT (thanks Lisa!), and have been so tramatized, that I have an even harder time being crafty (did I mention that I'm also a drama queen??!!). Crafts is no fun if you don't have somebody to help pass the time as you participate in a feeble attempt to be creative. Okay, okay...it's no fun if IIIIIII don't have somebody to help pass the time as IIIIIII participate in a feeble attempt to be creative!

I've learned something about creativity lately, though, and I'll share that with you in a minute.

My feeble attempt led me to Liza Moz tonight. Actually, my friend and MOPS Sister, Erica, led me there. She's been fussing at me about not participating in our MNO's (Mothers Night Out). So I decided I'd go and try something different. Being crafty is different for me. Fortunately, last week, Summerlyn used her "kid coupon" that she had earned, to drag us all to Liza Moz. Okay...she was dragging ME, and the other kids actually wanted to go. We went, we painted, we made a mess, and we actually had fun! The fish tile is my handiwork. Cute, huh?

Back to tonight.

As we all chose our pottery pieces and colors, we started blabbing and painting (a dangerous combination for me!). At Liza Moz, you definitely want to pay attention to what you're doing, because you just about have to take out a loan to purchase your piece of pottery there. So I'm painting away with my chocolate brown colored paint, holding my football stencil (should be easy with a stencil, right?!), when a lady who works there came over to see what we were doing and asked me if I'd outlined the stencil with a pencil before beginning to paint.

"Uuuuuhhhhh...no." I said. "Well, your paint is going to bleed. You need to always outline your stencil first." she told me. I pulled the football stencil away, and sure enough...

it looked like Luke had painted it!

To make a long story short, the dude who was our "helper", didn't tell us how to paint the pottery. So my mug was suffering. I asked the lady (who was very nice) if I could have another mug, since our dude didn't tell us how to paint the pottery. She called the owner, who said no...to try washing it off. She washed it, and it was ready to paint again.

Problem was...she totally "went there". She made the comment to me that the owner just couldn't replace every piece of pottery that customers messed up or he'd go out of business.

She left the situation alone after my reply. Which was something like this, "I could understand what you're saying IF the customer messed up their own piece of pottery. BUT, part of the service that we pay for at Liza Moz is directions on how to paint the pottery. SO, that was YOUR fault, not mine. And in THAT case, when YOUR worker fails to supply all of the information needed in order to paint successfully, the piece would need to be replaced by YOU."...or something close to that. "That's the only honest thing to do"...with a "I don't have to come back here" thrown in.

The nice lady went her way and I fussed a little bit, but continued to paint, messing up my football a couple more times before getting it right. Messing up my "swirlies" and resorting to "dots" before finishing up. My sweet MOPS friends got a truly honest look at my skills this evening! And the nice lady and I got along nicely the rest of the night.

It's was truly funny, and we all had a great time!

Now...let me tell you what I've recently learned about creativity. ALL creativity is inspired. By who? you might ask. A child...a lover...a friend...beautiful scenery...or maybe a simple desire to make a change. But guess Who inspired those inspirations?

God.

It's that simple.

God is the inspiration for everything we do.

I remember a time a few years back, when a friend of mine and I signed up to decorate and host a table at the annual Spring Tea at our church. We were rackin' our brains trying to think of a spectacular centerpiece for our table. Something unique...different. I was sitting in the floor of my living room one Saturday, talking out loud to myself about what to do, when the Lord whispered something to me...just like He was sitting on the couch leaning over my shoulder.

He said...Bunny.

.

Bunny? I thought...as in...B*U*N*N*Y?

Yes Carmen.

Oh...REAL funny, Lord.

I'm serious.

Okay, SERIOUSLY, Lord...I need a reasonable idea...I'm not playin'.

You could reasonably have a live bunny for your centerpiece.

Lord...ummmm...really?

Yep.
So I very excitedly called my friend, who laughed and said I was crazy, but agreed to a live bunny as a centerpiece for our table. I can't tell you how incredibly wild and what a tremendous blessing that was to ALL who encountered the live-bunny centerpiece at the annual Spring Tea! I still hear about it!!! And ask anyone who knew me then...I've told them that God gave me that idea. He inspired me that Saturday afternoon.

Maybe you don't know God. I mean really know Him. Talk to Him daily. Read the Bible, where He's placed all the answers for your life today. Believe Him. Trust Him. Do you?

.

Well...He's been teaching me that while being creative with paint, scissors, a sewing machine (Mom...YOU'RE the sewist!!!!), or even in putting together a beautiful room, may not be exciting for me, He can inspire even me to participate in things that I thought He'd forgotten to bless me with (like writing my name...for you dear MOPS girls!). He is the inspiration for ALL creativity, whether you realize it or not.

You ARE the way you ARE because He MADE you that way!

So whether you have a personal relationship with Him or not, you are still HIS handiwork...HIS painting project...HIS Liza Moz pottery piece. In fact, He doesn't just paint you, He actually molded you in the beginning, and seeks to perfect you now. There are so many times that He has to wash you off and start again...or take our mess and make it work.

But in the end, you're beautiful. Because HE says so. Because HE inspired you.

And God don't make no junk...

Crusty

So you'll probably be a little grossed out in reading this entry. It's about feet. Before you move on, I do plan on making a point, so if you'll stick with me, you'll learn something valuable.
This one's for Cyndi.

I inherited crusty feet. My Mom's feet are crusty. I use the word "crusty" because that's the most accurate word to describe dried-up, flaky feet. There are many "cures" for crusty feet. PediCURES, lotions, deep-hydrating lotions, scrubs...just to name a few. But the truth boils down to this: maintenance. It's all about taking the time to use one of these "cures" consistently. Honestly...how can we possibly think that ONE pedicure or ONE good scrubbing of the feet can forever end any issues we may have with crusty feet? Do dishes pile up everyday and load themselves into the dishwasher alone? Do clothes launder themselves? Does dust decide to disappear? I WISH!!! Of course the answer to these questions is: maintenance. All of these things have to be done repeatedly in order to HAVE order.

Our relationship with God is exactly like crusty feet. (Mom, before you gasp and tell Him that you didn't raise your child to be sacrilegious, let me explain!!!!) Much of the time, when someone commits their heart & life to Christ and is saved, they think that there is nothing more to be done. They've accepted the free gift of salvation and life can go on. While it's true that if out of conviction you've confessed that you sin, and that you need forgiveness, and you ask Christ to come into your heart & life to be Lord, that's all that is required for salvation...there is more to be done concerning your relationship with the Lord. There is: maintenance. Just like any other relationship in your life requires contact, time, effort (maintenance), so does your relationship with Christ! Guess what happens when you don't work to keep up a relationship...it gets crusty. Our relationship with God is based on OUR level of commitment, not His. He's ALWAYS there. He doesn't change and He doesn't remove Himself from our life. For those who know Him and have that relationship with Him, we have the assurance that no matter how crusty we allow things to get...He'll always give us a delightful pedicure of the heart and mind, if we'll communicate to Him that we want it. It's US who seek to cure the crust by turning to temporary "cures". Just like the temptation to buy into the latest gimmick on the forever cure-all for our crusty feet, we buy into the things of this world, which will never cure us. Only God can do that! We must place our faith in Him, and not in this world.

Pedicures or MANicures will never work.

What we truly need is a Christ-cure.

Truth & Hope OR Lies & Sin?

I was reading a profile off of a popular "connect to your friends" community this morning. It was one I have known about, but until this morning, haven't had time to read. It's actually someone I know...or used to know...a family member. It's shocking, actually, to realize that someone in the same family as you...within the same gene-pool, can have views so opposite from yours. This is actually true in most families, I suppose. But the defining factor is whether or not those views are violently opposite. If you disagree on certain moral issues, that's one thing. If you disagree and mock the other's views of those issues, that's a whole separate ballpark. I'm one who can disagree with someone and state my point, believing in my mind that they are wrong. I'll even argue my point, if the situation calls for that. BUT...unless the topic is open for conversation, I generally won't bring it up. And if the other person can't see the error of their thinking (snicker, snicker), I don't look to humiliate them or mock them. So here's the deal...Why is it when people disagree with your views on Christianity, their argument is based on misconceived ideas that are not scriptually based? Why do they feel the need to not just disagree, but attack your faith? Oh, I could generally say that it's a lack of maturity or that the person is insecure in their lifestyle. But really, that lifestyle lends itself to a warped view of thinking. And that warped thinking only comes from one place. 1Peter 5:8 says, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." When we sin, no matter if it's a "little white lie" or a life of choosing sinful behaviour, we have chosen to let the devil snap his teeth at us, and even pull off some of our flesh. The devil wants to literally eat us up! He desperately wants us to give in to whatever sin we find ourselves facing in life, thus we place ourselves in a position to be devoured. Part of giving in to that sin, while rolling our eyes at Christianity is desiring to make Christianity a fanatical form of wierdness or nothingness, so as to attempt to take away the truth and hope of another and place them on the same miserable level as the ones who truly have no hope. Thus, it's not just a difference of opinion or beliefs, but an all out attack on any form of truth. God grieves over those who have been manipulated by the enemy...those who won't accept His truth. Those who seek to defile His truth and mock it.

Here's some truth for you...the devil can't stomach the fact that his time is nearly up, so disagreeing simply isn't enough.

He wants an all-out war.

And guess what?

He's going to get one.

Smashed

I smashed my finger yesterday. It happened when I was shoving wet clothes in the dryer. I was moving pretty fast and didn't notice my right hand was in the way, thus I slammed the dryer door on my finger. Immediately I howled. Dean came running downstairs to make sure I was fine (I was on the floor by then), and Scarlett ran to see if I was okay. For a moment, I thought I'd puke. It's that instantaneous reaction your body has when you experience a quick flash of white-hot pain. Scarlett placed her arm around me, and I thought for sure she was going to get it (puke). When that nauseous feeling comes over a person, you just can't be touched! In less than 5 minutes, the extent of my pain was a throbbing finger, and I was fine. I smashed my finger, and my Tyler smashed his truck. At the end of the driveway, he slammed into another truck carrying a couple and their pre-teen daughter. It happened when he was in a hurry to get to his friend Tanner's house and hang out before having to go to work. He was moving pretty fast down the driveway in his old red truck, and didn't notice the other truck until it was too late. He slammed on the brakes, which locked up, and he literally slid into the other truck. Our neighbor, Damien, came running up to the house to ask me to come to the end of the driveway. I did, and was fortunate enough to have 3 of my MOPS ladies come with me. Tyler was mad. He was blaming the brakes, of course. I've spent some time reflecting on both incidents and why they happened. We get in a hurry. It's that simple. God gives us 24 hours in a day, and plenty of time to do the things HE'S put on our daily calendar, but we cram a bunch of other stuff on it. Before you know it, you've smashed yourself just doing something normal. It was not the brakes fault that Tyler was driving too fast down the driveway, any more than it was the dryer doors fault that I left my hand in the way. It was Tyler's responsibility to pay attention to his actions, as well as my responsibility towards mine. Painful things happen when we fill up our days with things WE think are so important, instead of taking those 24 hours to freely do what our Creator has in mind for us. He certainly doesn't cause the stress to smash us up in a day's time...that's all our wreckage.
My finger feels much better today, although I still can't decide if the nail will eventually fall off or not. The consequences are some kind of sore. Tyler, however, may have way more serious consequences, depending on how we go about dealing with the wreck. In either case, we would fair much better if we simply slowed down.