Fixed Cars, Burgers and Good Friends

I have much to be thankful for today. Our friends Keri and Jake Lyon came over for dinner tonight. While they were over, Jake took a look at our Tahoe and was able to get it running again! Yeah...I'm not home bound anymore! I've gotten to know Keri through our church and she is also in the Bible study I attend on Tuesdays. Keri has been amazingly generous to me. She has passed down a TON of clothes to me...which I have gladly accepted. It's been like Christmas on several occasions. She has GREAT taste, and it's been fun to have some great new clothes. Tonight she also brought over a CASE of formula. Nate has not had a ton of formula yet..but his day is fast approaching...and formula is like liquid gold. I'm so grateful.

I have so enjoyed getting to know Keri. She has a great heart for God and an obsession for Starbucks....a great combination for any friend of mine! She and Jake have two kids. Anna who is 3 and Bo who is almost 1. We have commiserated over sick kids this winter...(thought I think she wins the prize..) We also share the history of having moved WAY TO MUCH. We are both so glad to be settled in one place for awhile. She truly has been a blessing, I'm so greatful to have her in my life. God is good.

Feel free to check out her blog...its in my list of blogs... listed as "The Lyon Family"..

Do you hear Jay Leno...or Jesus?

The day is almost done. The final load of laundry is in the dryer. Monty is home from work. The day is winding down. I'm greatful tonight for quiet. The time when everything is "off" and the noise of the day is done. So often I leave the TV on for "noise", but why is that? Do I really need more "noise" in my life? I think not. I think its just a clever design to keep me distracted from the important. The Lord speaks to us in a "still, small voice..." How sad is it that he has to compete with Jay Leno most nights! Do I really want Jay's words to be the last ones on my mind before I go to bed...or Lord...Do you have things you want to talk about and I can't hear you because of all the noise! Lord...help me to relish the quiet...and in the midst of it...hear you.

Two Wolves

One evening, an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, “My son, the battle is between two “wolves” inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”
“The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.”
The grandson thought for a minute and then asked his Grandfather: “Which wolf wins the battle?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

My Dad

My Dad's birthday was the 9th. He turned 65 this year. I am truly thankful for him. He was an amazing father. I think it takes a very unique man to raise three daughters. He set such a great example for us. He loved the Lord, loved our Mom and he worked hard. He instilled in me a desire to do what is right, even when it is not popular. He is a man of integrity. He modeled a lifestyle of ministry. During my childhood, my Dad was a Bible College professor. Our home was constantly filled with college students. I watched him pour himself into the lives of those students. I saw how much he loved them...and how much they loved him. It made me proud to have him as my father. It made me feel special, knowing that he thought I was infinitly more important than any of his students.

Our relationship was not without struggles... My 8th grade year sent us all to therapy! I was a bratty 13 year old, and he was a man struggling in the grips of perfectionism. I was not perfect...ergo...our struggle!. That year was painful for both of us. It's one we don't really like to talk about even now. Yet, because of that year..and because we worked through it, our relationship grew stronger. I learned through that time that relationships are not always easy, they take work. I learned it was so worth the struggle.

My Dad spent years sending my sisters and I on missions trips. Between the three of us we have criss-crossed this globe several times. It's just been in the past year that he and my mom have had the chance to do what they spent years watching thier kids do. They just got back from Costa Rica, and my Dad is heading to Nepal in a couple of months. Once again, he is modeling that ministry is a lifestyle. As many men his age take up golf and enjoy the benefits of retirement, my Dad still works as a counselor helping families in crisis. I love that he is not afraid to begin new ventures in ministry.

I am greatful for my Dad. There are times I wish he would slow down, relax a bit more. (I'm not sure if he will this side of heaven) What I do know is that he will remain faithful to Christ and strive to honor him for the rest of his days.

Thanks Dad... I love you.

Lather, Rinse Repeat.....

Ugh. There are days that I feel like my life is on "lather rinse repeat mode" Get up, change kids diapers, feed kids, dress kids, make coffee, take shower, make lunch, put kids down for naps, laundry, vacuum, figure out what to cook for dinner, cook dinner, clean up, bathe kids, put kids to bed....repeat daily. I'm tired. I haven't had my hair cut since October. I feel old. I want to feel feminine..and not just like a Mom.

Sorry...I'm just a little cranky. I think I'll go to bed....and then get up...and change diapers....

Broken

So yesterday was a rough day. Monty got a call while he was at work from a friend of ours. Through this young mans sobs, it came out that his wife confessed to him that she had had an affair. They are a young couple, early twenties. They've only been married two years. He drove the hour and a half to our house, his parents drove up to be with him last night as well. It was gut wrenching sitting in our living room, trying to help a 22 year old make sense of a senseless situation. We prayed with him, cried with him and let him talk. Ultimately, there was not much to say. It just sucks!

It boggles my mind that this young couple is the fourth couple in three years that we've been close to that have gone through the fires of infidelity. This fall I found out that the pastor that I had worked for a few years ago had an affair. He lost his position as pastor. He is now trying to make sense of his life. Trying to reconcile with his wife and daughters. The pastor that married Monty and I, a man I greatly respect...had an affair and got a divorce. I have another pastor friend who left his wife and daughters for another woman. These all hit so close to home. I just ache for these families. I hate seeing the brokenness and hurt that happens to families in the wake of adultery. I hate seeing what happens to the children. I hate the disillusionment it causes in congregations.

God's perfect design for marriage has been so marred. I hurt deeply for the couples I know who are now divorced, or who are currently trying to work through the shattered world that was their marriage. It has just weighed so heavy on my heart today. It makes me evaluate my relationship with Monty. I am once again reminded that marriage is something to treasure, to guard and to daily give to God. I know that I need to honor and respect my husband. Infidelity starts one little chink at a time. I once had some friends that referred to their husbands as "their idiots". That never set well with me. Ironically, one of those two couples is now divorced. Respect is so vital to a mans sense of worth. I as a wife have a divine responsibility to affirm and respect Monty.

It has also cemented my view that no one is immune from sin. There is no "type" of person who will cheat on their spouse. Every person is vulnerable. I've known husbands and wives who have cheated. No one wakes up one morning and says... "I think I'll cheat on my spouse today..." It happens one small decision at a time...and soon you are in a place you never thought you'd be.

Whether you are married or single, practice the art of faithfulness. Especially in your relationship with God. He is always faithful...he is the one we can all learn from. Rely on God to fulfill your deepest needs. A husband or wife cannot do that. Only God can fill those deep parts of your heart. He can teach you true intimacy.

Those are the ramblings in my head and heart tonight....let me know if you have any thoughts...

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Sitting at dinner last night, JD looked at me and said ..."Mommy....Jesus thinks I'm special and God loves me too". Then he calmly went back to eating his spaghetti. I was struck with fact that at three years old, he accepts as normal that the God of the universe loves him and thinks he's special. There was no pretense, no fancy self glorification. He was just simply stating the fact that he is loved and he is special. I long for him to keep that simplicity. Our world so soon will start chipping away at him' telling him he is "not good enough". Unknowingly, we as parents mar that image as well. Voices from many sources will tell him he is not worthy of such love, that he must earn it. Lord, keep his heart soft. Let him know that there is nothing he can do to make you love him anymore...or any less. May he see himself the way you do. May he always know that he is loved...and you do think he is special.

Glad God Knows

It's sunny outside. In fact, my thermometer says its in the 70's. The boys and I have enjoyed being in the back yard today. I have taken it upon myself to rake up all the remaining leaves from the ground, so that the grass etc has a chance of growing. I'm pleased to tell you that there will indeed be plants coming up! I do not know how to garden etc, and I'm glad that the landscaping that was here when we moved in must be the kind that comes up every year. I think that's a perennial...or is it an annual because it comes up every year. What ever it is, it's coming back and I'm grateful!

I do really love it when things start turning green again. We have some flowers poking their way up in the front yard. They are yellow. I cant tell you anything more than that. I'm just so thankful I didn't kill everything!

I was "pruning" back some branches on some of the "flowery trees" we have in the back. (again...I can only tell you one of them is a rose bush of sorts..the rest just have pretty flowers of various colors that bloom throughout the summer). JD was very upset with me. He did not think that I should be cutting things. He thought I was hurting the plant. I'm sure my well intentioned clippers did not feel great to the plant, but I've heard that pruning makes them grow better?

All this pruning/outdoor work, made me so grateful that God is so much wiser than I. He knows exactly what to prune from my life. He knows what is to be raked up and taken to the curb. He also knows exactly what his plans are for me. He knows where and how he wants me to grow. He never tires of nurturing and tending to me. Each time he prunes back some area in my life, it is to prepare me for growth. I'm so glad he knows these things...for it makes my life less stressful. I am not in charge of the plan...I am merely called to grow. It's his job to make it beautiful!

Thank You St. Francis!

Huge, Big, Large, Gargantuate Praise! St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa wrote off the remainder of our hospital bill! We still owed quite a bit from Nates arrival, stay in the NICU and my 5 day stay. Thank You Lord. What a blessing!