Be Still

 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I  will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10

I was looking for this verse this morning.  I like to copy and paste straight from Scripture instead of relying on my ever-decreasing memory to write scripture down.  I was a little surprised at how many times the word "quiet" appears in scripture.  God tells us to be physically quiet, to be spiritually quiet, and to be actively quiet (listening to teaching).

I don't know why, but whenever I think about biblical times, I think that they couldn't possibly be as busy as we are.  After all, our lives are in hyper-drive, and we are in constant movement.  We have smart phones and iPads and Bluetooth and Internet.  We call, we text, we tweet, we IM, etc, etc, etc.  We drive cars at break-neck speed.  We fly in planes.  We're even starting to fly in space shuttles.  We are busy people.

I have to think, though, that people in biblical times were busy, too.  Of course, it was a different busy, but they were busy nonetheless.  Why else would God so many times tell us to be still?  Being busy is, I think, a human characteristic.  We feel fulfilled, we feel successful, when we're busy.

God tells us in this scripture to "Be still, and know that I am God."  What does that mean?  I'm no theologian, but I think God is telling us to settle our lives, our hearts, and our minds.  Sit back and remember that in our busyness, God is.  He is, was, and is yet to come.  He is Author and Creator of all.  Rejoice that He is in control!  Find peace that He is watching over you.  Exalt His name, and be thankful. 

So I'm doing that this morning.  I am rejoicing!  I am exalting His name.  Praise the Lord, for He is Good.

Shots!

Is there a word that strikes more fear in the hearts of children (and their parents!) than "shot"?  Graham had his 18-month checkup this morning, and he had to have two shots.  I knew it was coming, and I was ready.  Before getting out of the car, I gave him a dose of Tylenol.  I let him walk himself from the lobby to the examination room.  I think this was the point in which he became suspicious.

All throughout his exam, he kept saying, "Mommy".  He knew- I know that he knew!  I was upbeat, trying hard to make him laugh while his height and weight were checked.  I let him play with my phone.  I tickled him.  I sang "If you're happy and you know it...".  Then, it came time for the shots.  I told him, "Graham, you may cry.  Mommy is definitely going to cry.  Let's just get through this quickly, okay?"  He looked at me blankly.  Not for long, though.


I asked his nurse (who is a wonderful nurse!) to give him the more painful one first.  The MMR shot went in, and I watched my sweet boy's face change from complacent to pain-filled to betrayed.  He looked at his sweet nurse as if she were the enemy, which I guess, to him, she was.

The thing is, he only cried for about 10 seconds!  I was so proud of him.  I couldn't believe how quickly he got over it (especially because that darned MMR shot HURTS!!).

While I was there, I picked up Bethany's immunization records for school.  Upon inspection, I realized that she is 2 shots short of being current.  I made that appointment today.

In two weeks, I have a feeling that I will be making another post about a very different shot day.  My Bethany is stubborn.  Stubborn.  And she's already let me know that she doesn't want any shots.  Oh, boy.

Jeremiah 29:11- What protection!

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

This is one of my very favorite verses of scripture.  It is the promise of a Father to His children.  It is comfort, protection, and peace wrapped up in a statement of ownership.  He knows all.  He created you.  He knows every step you will take before you take it. He has a plan for your life.  He gives you hope and a future. 

This verse has always given me such peace.  When I don't know what to do, or when I don't know how a particularly bad situation is going to end up, I think on this verse.  I pray through this verse.  Every time, I am comforted.  God loves me.  No matter what, God loves me.  He is in control, and He is holding me close.

Thank you, God, for this promise of comfort and of love.  Thank you for loving me, and thank you for giving me a hope and a future. 

Sunday afternoon musing

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name." Psalm 100:4

Did you do this today? I have to admit, as a mom of young children, I often enter the doors of the church with a sigh of exhaustion, and not with thanksgiving and praise in my heart.  I am tired, and I am replaying the arguments over not being able to find the right shoes, or "I don't want that for breakfast" or "I don't want to wear that one" or "why can't I...".  I am harried because the baby needed a last-minute diaper change and it caused us to be late.  My last-second gulp of coffee hasn't kicked in, and I am tired.

I love this verse, because it reminds me that I am blessed. I CAN come to church with thanksgiving in my heart and with praise on my lips, because HE saw fit to make me a wife and a mother. HE gave me the joy of my salvation, and He, who is Love, fills my heart and my life with thanksgiving and praise. 

Give praise to Him today, because you are blessed.

Lord, thank You for my salvation.  Thank You for loving me, even in my sin.  Please help me to remember that You have given me a calling to be a wife and mother.  Help me to feel the joy that You have filled me with.  Help me to scrub my life of all that is displeasing to You, and fill me up with Your love.  Help me to love others the way You love me.

Amen.

Grahamisms

Grahamism- (n) Something cute that Graham does that makes me giggle.

1.  When he's ready to take a bite, he shouts, "MMMmmmmmmmMMMMMMMmmmm".

2.  Graham can't stand to have anything on the tabletops.  If there's something there, he grabs it, carries it over to his pack 'n play, and tosses it in.

3.  Graham loves to talk on the phone.  He will hunt down the house phone, bring it to me, and start talking into it.

4.  He thinks every burp or fluffy is hilarious and laughs.  If you say, "Graham!" in a scolding manner, he throws his head back and guffaws.

5. If he hears applause on television, he claps along with it and says, "Aaaaayyy".  (His version of "yay")

6.  Graham loves Family Feud.  If he hears it on tv, he runs into the room, sits down, and watches it.

7.  If you see Graham doing something he's not supposed to be doing, and you say, "Graham, no!", he drops whatever he's doing and either crawls or runs away very quickly.  Then, he nonchalantly comes back into the room.

8.  This isn't a Grahamism, but a SMH- Graham head butts EVERYTHING.  I think he's part goat.  If he hits his head accidentally, he knocks his head into whatever he hit before, but this time on purpose.  It's as if he's telling the object that it won't get the best of him.  Hrmph.

Back from Oblivion (Again)

Back from oblivion (again)!  It's been 4 years since I've posted a blog.  My kids are getting bigger, the family's getting busier, and I thought it would be a great idea to start back on this, if only to record the happenings of our family for future nostalgia.  So, on this day in March, here's where we stand:

Ken:  Ken is the Associate Pastor at Mountain Springs Baptist Church.  We've been here since September 2008, and it's been a blessing to us.  He's just finished up his 3rd Disciple Now weekend, where one teen girl came to know Christ (HALLELUJAH!) and everyone had a great time.  His theme was "Encounter" and he spoke of how an encounter with Jesus Christ leads to great change in a person's life.  The messages spoke to me, and I know they spoke to everyone who heard.  He came home Sunday night exhausted, but charged with passion from the Lord for the next Disciple Now theme.  He created the logo (something he always does first) and the Lord gave him direction on three of the four sermons.  He created the outlines for all 3 sermons right then!  I had to smile.  That's my Ken. 

Emily:  Emily is in 2nd grade at Union Academy, and she is 7 1/2 years old.  She loves school very much, and can't wait to get there every day.  She recently won the Character Award for her class for Encouragement.  It amazes and delights me to see her with such incredible compassion and love for everyone around her.  She has her moments (doesn't everyone?), but she's an amazing kid.  She accepted Christ about 6 months ago, and she loves to call me her "Sister".  Emily is in her 5th year of ballet.  She's also taking modern for the first time this year.  She loves to dance, and I get so tickled when she breaks into dancing at random moments.  She just has times when the music fills her up so much that she has to dance it.  Love that girl!

Bethany:  Bethany just turned 6 years old and I am homeschooling her for Kindergarten.  She is 2nd on the wait list for 1st grade at Union Academy, and we're saying some hard prayers that two families are relocated (good situations, of course!) before the start of the school year.  Homeschooling is challenging, but she is doing great.  I supplement her work with www.abcmouse.com, which she loves.  Once, a lady asked her where she went to school, and she said, "abc.mouse.com, an online learning academy".  HA!  The things that come out of that child's mouth!  She is so funny.  Bethany is taking her 3rd year of ballet.  Tonight, the parents got to go into her class to watch their routine with costumes on.  The song was from one of the Tinker Bell movies, and Bethany sang the song while she danced.  I'm pretty sure that she's not supposed to do that, but it was funny nonetheless.

Graham:  Graham is a funny almost-18-month-old boy who is so stinkin' adorable!  Man, that kid knows how to wrap Mommy around his little finger.  He freely gives hugs, kisses, and cuddles to everyone.  He started walking about a month ago.  Yep, just a month ago.  For months, he would take a skittish step every once in awhile, but only between two people.  I knew I had to get him some new shoes, so we headed to the mall.  I put this pair of shoes on him (Stride Rites!), and it was like someone whispered, "Now, Graham!  Go!" in his ear, because he took off like a shot.  Now, he's everywhere, and everywhere fast.  He thinks he's as big as the girls, and he gets very frustrated that he can't do everything that they can.  

 Me:  I'm hanging in there.  It's hard watching the kids grow up so quickly.  In an effort to be "hands on" with Emily's school (especially since she's transitioning from homeschool to UA) I signed up to be a Room Parent.  Thankfully, there are two other RPs in Emily's class.  I've enjoyed doing that.  It puts me in the classroom a bit, and emailing parents a lot.  I've enjoyed getting to know Emily's teachers, and I hope that I can be RP next year, too.  I have taken the world's longest maternity leave from my parent's company.  I really need to get back to that.  They may fill my position soon.  I do some freelance writing from time to time. 

So, here are some recent pictures of the kids:

 Emily, Bethany, and I enjoy a "coffee" break from Christmas shopping.  They had hot cocoa.

 This was our Christmas card.  It took over 500 pictures to get this shot.  I'm amazed they had smiles left in them at that point!

This was the official Santa picture.  Please notice that Bethany is smiling.  This is the first time she's willingly visited Santa.  She announced, "Now that I'm five, I can sit on Santa's lap without crying."  Well, thank goodness!  Notice that Graham isn't exactly happy.  Next year's picture should be interesting.

 Emily and Bethany were in the Union County Youth Ballet's performance of "The Nutcracker".  Bethany was a Cherub and Emily was a Little Mouse.  This was Bethany's 1st and Emily's 2nd Nutcracker performance.  Oh, the pride of a Mama!  They did a great job.

 The girls were so good while I was running about 5 million errands that I let them stop for a doughnut break.  I am very proud (and shocked) to announce that the red light was on, and I did NOT indulge in a doughnut. ( This is a monumental event, because KK doughnuts are almost impossible to resist.  I can't say that I could do it again.)

 Oh, my Bethany!  This child is so funny.  My Grandma gave her a toy laptop several years back for Christmas.  Bethany set herself up a little workstation.  How creative is she!?!?!  She used a Pampers box and her (emptied) shoe bin to get the laptop to just the right height.  I point out here that she is working in her pajamas.  Smart girl.

 Graham's first ride on a carousel!  He loved it.  The hand you see on the right side of the picture is Uncle B's.  He followed Graham around the carousel to make sure he didn't fall.  Good job, Uncle B!

 I surprised Emily one morning with breakfast out before school.  She looks so grown up here!  Sweet, sweet girl.

 Emily being baptized by her Dad.  This was a special day, and my heart was full.

 This is Graham this past Disciple Now weekend, playing with a basketball.  He didn't understand why he couldn't play with the big guys.

Okay, that's it for now.  Hopefully, I can get on here a little more frequently.  I think it would be nice to have a documentation of the kids' lives, and I can pretty much guarantee that scrapbooking is not going to happen.