I’ve been just waiting for this day to come – you know, the day when our little guy – surrounded by 3 big sisters gets dressed up like a GIRL!?? I remember doing this to my baby brother when I was little, and, I have to admit – the girl’s endless giggling while coming down the stairs – had me in some serious laughter! Thank goodness Malachi is a good sport (sort of – he didn’t seem too thrilled…)
Bitterness is something so destructive that, if we are not careful, we will find ourselves cold and wrecked and wondering how we got there. Sometimes it screams loud and other times it quietly does its’ work, eating away at our joy – stealing it like a thief in the night.
What do we do when we have been sinned against?
Pastor John Piper offers a simple plan for taking our bitterness to the One who became sin, so that sin might be no more:
1. Admit
-I cannot get rid of this bitterness and that person is happily moving on with their life
2. Pray
-“God, I need your help! I want you to take away the rage and bitterness.”
3. Trust
-Romans 12:19 “Vengeance is mine, I will repay!”
-Justice will be done
-God will lift from you the suicidal load of vengeance and carry it to one of two places:
a.) The cross if that person repents
b.) To hell where they will be forever
God doesn’t need us to praise Him but He needs us to praise. What else keeps us from bitterness? A. Voskamp
It’s a beautiful thing to be called out by your own kids. Today – I received the great, hard, reality-check-of-a-blessing from a little 8 year old gal. As I was preparing lunch, she came in humbly – not in an arrogant, sassy pride (that we all are guilty of at times), but with this little sweet, respectful, sort of “un-sure” voice,
“Mama? I kind of have to talk to you about something. Umm….well, you know earlier when I was dressing up and you got mad about helping me? And you know the way you used that voice to tell me to find the clothes I needed to change back into? I didn’t…ummm….like the way your voice sounded.”
Right to the heart. Yup. And I scooped her 8 year old self up and wrapped her body near mine and said “Thank you for loving mommy enough to help her see her sin. I’m sorry, I was wrong. Will you forgive me?”
Beautiful, beautiful Gospel…(just keepin’ it real over here today).
Got my usual haircut today with BANGS in mind! I love that my hair stylist whom I’ve gone to for over 5 years now, knows me and helps me to keep up with the fun and funky intent of my hair 
Today – we went for bangs and I love them – so does my pastor-husband and the girls giggle about them too! Best part it? For a gal who likes to switch things up, I can brush them to the side, push them over and “hide” them all-together or just go with the funky, messy look. Fun! Though I’m sure 20 years from now when I look at this picture, I’ll laugh. But hey – gotta have a little fun in life, eh?
On a different note, this little guy loves to “help” his daddy do dishes (and props to my man who cleans up the dinner dishes, amazing!) and he is also known these days for making his way over to the clementines to bite a chunk of skin off of it. He really is slightly obsessed. Vitamin C anyone?
Our sweet little guy turned 1 – what joy and BLESSING we’ve experienced during the first 12 months of life that God has sustained. We are so thankful to get to watch him grow, and learn and explore this great big world. And, really, he only gets cuter and life only gets more and more enjoyable as we see his personality start to bloom and as he finds his place in this family of ours. Happy 1st Birthday Malachi Peace, how we love you so! (Buddy-boy experienced his first real sugary treat, and though he was a bit un-sure at first about the entire cake placed before him, he quickly got the hang of it and enjoyed licking some frosting!)
Some 1 year mile-markers:
-cutting 3 teeth (on the top) at once!
-speedy crawling
- love for balls – out of control (throwing, rolling etc.)
-learning the sippy cup
-putting your arms out to people you recognize
-pulling up on all kinds of furniture, shelving, etc.
-eating real food
-clapping and laughing
-general happy/content disposition
-eating leaves and such
-learning to climb stairs
-shaking head “no” when you hear us tell you no
-words: thank-you, ball, book, all-done, ellie, jada, mama, dada, papa
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This precious little Jada marks such a sweet time in our lives – pastor husband and I were off living in Louisville, Kentucky plugging away at seminary in a 850 square foot apartment, sharing a car, working 4 part time jobs (between the 2 of us), and…..waiting on and then welcoming our Jada Love into this world 3 days after Christmas. And, as if things weren’t crazy enough…while I was in the hospital with my newborn babe – my husband and parents were at home puking – sick with some sort of food poisoning- all while trying to care for 24 month old Ashtyn! To add to the excitement….the day I came home from the hospital, was the day we moved into a new apartment and I stood there – boxes piled up to the ceiling with two babies in arm and waved good-bye to any prospect of help as my family had to get on the road for the 13 hour drive back to Georgia. ENTER: Jada Love! Such a breath of fresh air, she was, amidst all the craziness – a sweet little babe who cried whenever I put her down – she just loved to be held. Very fitting to her personality today. And what a gift she has been to us all – teaching us to love, to be sensitive, gentle and kind….
And, upon her request, we celebrated her 6th birthday with a Rapunzel party. Rapunzel was due to show up at our house and make a guest appearance in front of all 10 little girls, however I received a phone call from a princess the morning of her party receiving the news that Rapunzel was terribly sick and unable to show up. We learned the lesson that day that yes, even princesses get sick sometimes, and Jada picked Belle to come to her party instead – and she sang to the girls, read a story, made them each an official princess, and taught them how to curtsy. I think it was a success!
Lesson from the 3 year old today: “I love God. I don’t love Satan!”
“From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.” Psalm 8:2
May your love for the Lord far exceed your love for anything else this world has to offer today(and every day, yes?)…
“He was poor, that he might make us rich.
He was born of a virgin that we might be born of God.
He took our flesh, that he might give us His Spirit.
He lay in the manger, that we may lie in paradise.
He came down from heaven, that he might bring us to heaven….”
-Thomas Watson
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:14
Merry Christmas!
(this precious babe, such a fresh and tangible reminder of the Word- become flesh for us, born- that we might have life!)
We took a last-minute trip to the beautiful Hopeland Gardens in Aiken yesterday. We’ve been enjoying a few days off from our normal school routine, and due to all the rain, needed to get out of the house for a bit. What a nature-rich place it was…and the day ended up being perfect, with sunshine and everything! We even took a stroll in downtown Aiken and ate cupcakes…
Guess who got designated baby Jesus?? I walked into the girl’s room and found Malachi stuck in a pink basket while the girls were acting out the Nativity story. Poor guy.
