My Birthday

Well, today is my 34th birthday. I have to say that this has been one of my best birthdays ever! My mom sent me flowers yesterday and we had a great chat on the phone.

This morning, I went out for a bit, and when I got home, this beautiful picture was in my mailbox. My sister-in-law, Twyla, drew this for me. It's a picture of my dad with Adam and Noah. Since he passed away ten years ago, he never got to meet my kids. I know he would have made a wonderful grandpa. I had tears in my eyes when I saw this. It's amazing how much my boys look like my dad. What a wonderful gift. I know we'll all see each other in heaven and my dad will meet his grandsons, but for now, this is a wonderful reminder of my dad.

Then at noon, my friend, Sherri, showed up with lunch for me and we had a great visit. Later, my other sister-in-law, Wendy, stopped by with a vase of lilies for me. She had decorated the vase with Stampin' Up! Rub-Ons! A woman after my own heart! LOL!

My boys actually slept this afternoon so I had some time to myself. Very nice!

When Ian gets home, we're all going out for supper. It will be nice to not have to cook!

All in all, a great day.

My Boys - Brothers and Friends

It just brings a smile to my heart to see my boys getting along. On Saturday morning they were in their "jammies" playing. They kept hugging each other, falling on the ground, laughing and wrestling. It was so much fun to watch, and it brought such joy to me! Although they do have their moments when they fight with each other, so far they seem to like each other.

This is such a relief to me, as my sister and I were never close. I remember even as a very young girl that I didn't want her around (how horrible is that?). My mom tells of a time when I was four and my sister was two, and she got lost at a store. While my mother panicked, I kept talking excitedly about how wonderful life would be now that she was gone. My mom did not appreciate that very much. I would like to just explain that I was not a Christian until I was an older teenager, so I didn't have a lot of Christian virtues!

As we got older, we tolerated each other. We played together, but we never really had much in common. I was the "brain" and she was the "jock", although we both did well in school and enjoyed sports (these were just the personas we adopted and our activity choices reflected this). I looked out for her as an older sister, but we were never really good friends.

When I became a Christian, we grew even further apart as she became involved in Eastern philosophies, New Age practices and an immoral lifestyle. The death of our dad also threw her into a tailspin and she pushed away from our family almost completely.

I really believe that without a common belief system, it is more difficult for siblings to really be friends. Of course I love my sister, but we don't understand each other at all. My prayer for my boys is that they would both come to know the Lord and grow close in their walk with Him. I pray they will look out for one another and be genuine friends. I pray that they will get along and help each other as they grow in their faith.

On Joy

I've been catching up on my "Living Beyond Yourself" homework (Beth Moore) for Renew. I missed a bunch while I was sick, so now I'm trying to get a few lessons done each day.

JOY:
Today's study was about joy, specifically the joy that comes from knowing our names are written in Heaven. Wow. Beth Moore emphasizes that salvation belongs to God. I never really thought about the significance of that until today. "Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne..." (Revelation 7:10). Why is it important that salvation belongs to God and not to us? Because it is His gift to us. If it didn't belong to Him, then He wouldn't be able to give it to us. "It is a gift of GRACE that we have the privilege to accept." (Beth Moore)

Beth also states that "recognizing that salvation belongs to Christ helps to get us out of ourselves." How often do I focus on me, me, me? It's not about me!

SALVATION:
Here's another other sobering thought from Beth based on 2 Peter 3:3 - 7: "A moment will come, at the ushering in of eternity, when every lost man and woman will be confronted with the staggering loss of his or her salvation... The lost will suffer a horrible threefold realization: they will realize that He is LORD, that they are LOST and that it's too LATE."

That certainly puts things into perspective. Why do I worry about "offending" people by sharing the gospel with them? This life is but a breath. Eternity is forever. Do I want the guilt on my conscience of knowing some of my friends and family could be facing an eternity without the Lord just because I'm afraid of offending them? The joy they could have of knowing their names are written in the Book of Life pales in comparison to my discomfort. Again, it's not about me!

Adam's First Spending Spree!

Adam received his first piggy bank for Christmas this year, and Grandpa King was more than happy to fill it up with coins for him! So Adam was very excited to go to the store with Daddy and spend some of his money.

I gave him two dollars in quarters to spend when he and Daddy went into the city. Ian was picking something up for me at Michaels, so Adam was very excited to be able to buy something crafty!

He found this balloon paper in the scrapbooking section, and he had to have it! It cost $0.99 ($1.05 with tax). He went up to the till, and the sales lady was very obliging! Adam said, "I have eight monies!" and plunked all of his quarters down on the counter. Well, he was so excited when the cashier gave him some of it back (and some dimes and nickels as his change too!).

He was so excited to come home and show me his purchase and to tell me that the cashier had given him some money back as well.

It is so wonderful to see him excited. I just can't believe the maternal happiness when my kids are happy. It thrills my soul. Is God this happy when I'm excited about something? If God loves me half as much as I love my kids and is half as excited for me when I'm excited about something, then that's a whole lot of love!

The Flu Strikes!

I've been sick for the past two weeks. It's amazing how being sick takes precedence over everything! The flu literally struck me down last Tuesday. I was fine in the morning, then by after lunch I was in bed with a fever sleeping the afternoon away. Ian had to take Wednesday off of work to look after the boys, and my mother-in-law took them on Thursday. I was too dizzy to stand up. I slept for almost four days straight.

By Friday, the fever had left, but I was still really sick. I had to miss the all-day scrapbooking at church on Saturday. I felt awful - I was supposed to be helping with the day, but I had to leave it with Heidi and Eva. They did a fabulous job, but I always feel guilty when I'm supposed to be helping and can't. I was also really bummed to have to miss the day. I look forward to it all year!

I was finally better by Tuesday, but still really tired and weak. I've been sleeping in the afternoons while the boys nap, then going to bed right after them in the evenings. I feel like I've lost two weeks.

The good news is that I lost seven pounds! I know I'll gain most of it back, but it's still the only good thing about being sick! LOL!

The bad part is that I haven't really been spending time with God, other than to pray that I will get better quickly and that my family won't get sick too! I'm really hoping to have my strength back soon so I can stay awake when the boys are asleep and get back into my routine.

I'm thankful to be feeling a bit better now. This one hit hard. Being sick really helps you prioritize what HAS to be done and what can wait! I guess that's something else to be thankful for.

On Daniel 4 - Remembering God at All Times

Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that is interpreted for him by Daniel. Basically, God is telling the king that if he doesn't acknowledge that everything he has is from God, then the king will become insane and live like an animal, eating grass and being soaked with dew until he gives glory to God. Daniel advises the king to renounce his sins and be kind to the oppressed so that this punishment will not fall upon him.

I find it so strange that after all Nebuchadnezzar has witnessed from God - Daniel's interpretations of his dream, Daniel's friends being spared in the fiery furnace - he still won't acknowledge that God is supreme and in control of everything.

Of course, Nebuchadnezzar does not humble himself, and God's punishment falls upon him. When the king finally raises his eyes to heaven and gives God the glory, his kingdom is restored to him. He writes a letter to all the people of all the nations declaring that God reigns supreme over all.

It is easy to judge Nebuchadnezzar for his lack of faith, but how many times do I forget that God is supreme. I go about my life until something bad happens, then I pray and ask God for help. He helps, I say thank you, then I move on and forget about Him until the next crisis. Lord, help me to remember always that You are in control. You are God. You reign supreme. You are the King of kings and Lord of lords. Help me not forget to praise you at all times.

Fingerprints of God

Adam received some fingerpaints in his stocking for Christmas, and he loves to use them! I just love to see the joy on his face when he's playing with them. The bottom photo reminds me of the Steven Curtis Chapman song "Fingerprints of God". It basically talks about how we are God's masterpieces. The chorus says, "I can see the fingerprints of God when I look at you." And that is so true. Looking at my boys, I can see God's masterpieces. They are fearfully and wonderfully made. I feel so blessed and thankful that God gave them to me to be their mother. They are such special boys. The joy they bring me is indescribable.