The Charis Home

I don't want to

2012-02-13T12:06:00.000-08:00

I have a toddler. He does toddler-hood as well as the best of them, including the I-know-what-I'm-supposed-to-do-but-I-want-to-assert-my-independence episodes. The most prevalent presentation of his willfulness right now is his response when I tell him we're going to do something.

For example, today we were on the way home when the following conversation ensued:

Weslee: Mama, where are we going?

Me: We're going home.

Weslee: I don't want to!

Me: Why don't you want to go home? Home is fun! We can go and play!

Weslee: I don't want to!

Me: Well, we're going to.

Do you ever feel like having that toddler independence attitude? I know that sometimes I start my day out like that- the alarm rings, and I know I need to get up, but "I don't want to!" Or, I need to clean and do chores, but the toddler in me protests, "I don't want to!"

Not only does it happen in my everyday life- it also happens in my spiritual walk. I know what I should do, but "I don't want to!" Pray, read my Bible, work on my marriage, fellowship with others, help the needy.... some days, "I don't want to!"

I am so thankful that I have a God who knew what I was going to be like, who sent Jesus to die on the cross for every one of those sinful and rebellious thoughts before I even existed. Then I think: who am I to tell the Creator of the universe "I don't want to!" like a child throwing a tantrum, when He has done so much for me?

Maybe we all need to be our own adult voice now and then, and when we have those thoughts, tell ourselves, "Well, you're going to!"

Reassurance

2012-01-15T17:42:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned that I'm far from perfect? Yeah, I thought so.

Some days (more than I'd like), life feels overwhelming. My house never seems to be clean or organized enough, kids not well-behaved enough, laundry not done enough, dinner not ready on time, my patience not long enough, etc. Overwhelming can quickly turn to frustration, anger, and despair if you let it. It can fester and take a toll on relationships with those that you love.

Often I find myself walking the line between normal fretting about things and diving over into crazy about it. Sometimes I just have to stop and pray, asking God to take my worry from me and replace it with His peace. I am so thankful to have a Lord who is always there when I need Him, who always knows what is going on when I don't.

Do you know my God? He created the earth, knitted each one of us together in our mothers' wombs, and sent his only son Jesus to die on the cross for us while we were yet sinners to save us from ourselves. He is the reason why all my worry is in vain, and why even when I am far from perfect, he is always perfect and will carry my burdens. He is there to forgive when I come to Him in repentance, and He renews my spirit.

How amazing and comforting it is to be reassured of the faithfulness of my Lord- He is the one constant in a life of chaos.

On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah

-Psalm 62:7-8

Ungrateful

2012-01-13T11:53:00.000-08:00

I am so ungrateful.

Today, even as much as I love my children, I am not as grateful as I could be. I take for granted that my boys are healthy, that they will run (or crawl) around and play all day, that they will laugh and cry, that they will be here tomorrow. We are never guaranteed a tomorrow, and some parents face a reality where that knowledge looms much too close for comfort in regards to their own children.

Please take a moment to pray for Baby Tripp and his family. You can read their story here, but you might want a box of tissues. I've been following the blog off an on for a while now, and it looks like Baby Tripp is very close to going home to Heaven to be with God. He will be pain-free for the first time, and will have a perfect body, and be in the presence of the Great Physician, who will heal all that has been broken for his short little life. Those left behind will mourn, but not mourn as those who have no hope. I pray that you, reader, know Jesus and may grieve for/with this family, but also have the hope that they have. Remember, there was once another mother and father (and Father) who know that their son would die, the son who defeated death that we might have hope in eternal life with Him.

As I was reading the blog entry above, I cried (and forgot my box of tissues). Weslee came over, wrapped his arms around me, and said,
"Mama, you need a hug. I love you."

Of course, I cried more. Then he stepped back, looked at me, and said,
"Mama, I love you this much (holding his hands a few inches apart). No, wait, I love you this much (his arms open more). No, Mama, I love you THIS much!" And he held his arms open as far as they would go and gave me a big hug.

I did the same, and told him how much I love him, but I don't think he or his brother will ever really understand how much that is. It's the kind of love where it hurts to think how short life really is, and the kind of love that transcends to hurting for another mother who knows it so much better than I do.

I will go to bed tonight, without much concern that my children will wake up- one probably several times before dawn- but I will hug them a little tighter and longer, and kiss them a few more times. I will lay them down and pray and cry for another mother and father who will not sleep with that same assurance tonight.

I ask that you would join me in prayer for Baby Tripp and his family, and that you, too, might forget about all that other stuff in life and be just a little less ungrateful with me.

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

-1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

Why Moms Leave the House

2012-01-09T15:11:00.000-08:00

I realized today why moms like to take their children out. It's not because they enjoy lugging around car seats and wrangling small children with amazingly slippery hands. They don't fancy the public tantrums, yelling ("remember, indoor voice!"), crying, and things being flung from carts. They may not even particularly want to get dressed in the morning, dress children, and see other people outside the home. So why do they do it?

It keeps the house neat.

Yep, that's right. I was out all morning, at MOPS and then the store, and when I came home the house was still as clean as I'd left it. Of course, it was also nap time, so as I'm writing this, I still have not had to pick anything up off the floor, because nothing was taken out this morning! By my calculations, the floor has been clean and relatively toy-free for 16 hours now, which has got to be some kind of record!

I am now trying to figure out places that we can go that will entertain the kids, not drive me crazy, and keep us out long enough to minimize the mess around here. I guess it will come down to whether I want to tackle all the aforementioned public obstacles or clean up a floor covered in the hazards toy companies have cleverly marketed as entertainment for children.

We'll see...

Resolutions

2012-01-09T13:20:00.000-08:00

Oh, hello again blog and readers! I'm sure all five of those who frequent here missed my posts oh-so-much (hi Mom). Ken challenged me to make some tangible resolutions this year, and after thinking about it, I have the following goals:

1. Speak gently (this he decided was not so tangible because I'll not have any visual/written evidence of it, but I think it's a great goal that will effect us all spiritually)
2. Eat healthy and eat out less (totally tangible if I'm ever brave enough to step on the scale- which I'm not- and by the fit of my clothes)
3. Exercise more (this means finding time when children are not climbing on me or screaming at me, I'm not tending to household matters, and hubby doesn't need my attention... ha)
4. Blog weekly (this is my most tangible goal)

There you go! I set my goals loosely because I don't want to get to the end of the year and realize that I haven't reached any of them. I guess you'll be able to read/see more on this blog for the next year, and keep me accountable if I'm slacking off on it. I did decide that picture posts count as blogging, but I will try to add some kind of caption to the pictures so you don't have to wonder who all the people in them are and you know what we're doing in them! I hope you enjoy my return to the writing realm, and hopefully I'll be a little more creative in what I'm posting.

Christmas Dinner

2012-01-04T18:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas Morning

2012-01-04T18:19:00.000-08:00

Christmas Cookies

2012-01-04T17:46:00.000-08:00

Christmas Card Photos

2012-01-04T17:20:00.000-08:00

December Photos

2012-01-04T17:14:00.000-08:00

November Photos

2012-01-04T16:37:00.000-08:00

October Photos

2012-01-04T16:29:00.000-08:00

September Photos

2012-01-04T16:12:00.000-08:00

August Photos

2012-01-04T15:45:00.000-08:00

July Photos

2012-01-04T15:36:00.000-08:00

June Photos

2012-01-04T15:18:00.000-08:00

May Photos

2011-06-20T11:06:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day/Phin's Dedication

2011-05-24T12:33:00.000-07:00

Pastor David anointing Phin with oil

Praying over Phin

Baby dedication... a bit blurry since the flash didn't work

This one isn't from Mother's Day, but we didn't get a family photo that day

First Family Time

2011-05-24T12:27:00.001-07:00

Easter 2011

2011-05-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

Our first "real" family picture as a family of four

Weslee playing with cousins Quinn and Sela

Hunting for Easter eggs

Counting the eggs they found

Weslee relaxing with Ken after a big afternoon

Weslee's First Egg-Dying Experience

2011-05-24T12:06:00.001-07:00

Ok, so we didn't actually let him dunk the eggs, but we let him watch us do it. He was so excited about it, and he had fun decorating them with his cousins at my parents' house on Easter.

April Photos

2011-05-24T11:53:00.000-07:00

March Photos

2011-05-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

Mom and Phin

2011-05-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

Dad and Phin

2011-05-24T10:19:00.001-07:00

Brand New Phin

2011-05-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

Phin had a lot of facial bruising in the beginning as a result of the tough labor.

He had some pictures that are almost identical to Weslee's first pictures.

He spent a lot of time sleeping to recover.

It took him a while to be able to open both his eyes.

I love the smurf hats they give the babies at the hospital. :)

Welcome, Phinehas Luther!

2011-05-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

Phinehas Luther Cook made his grand entrance Saturday March 26 at 8:25am. He was 19 1/2 inches and weighed 7lbs 4oz.

This labor was much different than what I experienced with Weslee. Contractions started Friday afternoon, and I knew it was labor right away. They were pretty bearable, but I did call Ken to come home from work, and called my doula Stephanie to come over because we didn't know when Ken would be home or how fast the labor would progress. People had been telling me the entire pregnancy that second labors usually go faster than the first, and that had only been 9 hours. Later I would want to smack everybody who had said that.

The early stage of labor started to drag on a little, and by 8pm I decided it might be a good idea to take a nap and send my doula home for a break since I was getting the feeling that it was going to take longer than it had the first time. I woke up around 10pm in quite a bit of pain and called my doula back to the house. I think it was about half an hour until we decided active labor had hit, and it was time to go to the hospital.

I was fully expecting to be very close to delivery when we got to the hospital, but no such luck. I was only at 4cm! When my water broke with Weslee, I was already at 5cm at the beginning of labor. When my midwife arrived and suggested I sit in the tub and try to sleep between contractions, I knew I was in for a longer labor than I had anticipated. My doula was so amazing the whole time, helping to keep me focused on my goal and deal with the pain of contractions. I was determined to go through labor and delivery with no pain medication.

After 16 hours of labor and a LOT of pain, they finally checked and found out Phinehas was in a posterior position, and he was stuck in the pelvis. We worked for an hour to rotate him, trying different positions for contractions. Our friend and nurse Carrie suggested side-lunges, and that finally did the trick. Unfortunately, he still wasn't descending like he should, and they discovered that the fluid sac had formed a little balloon above his head and was preventing him from moving down. We determined that breaking my water would help.

They broke my water about 8am and things picked up right away. I could tell when Phin got past the position he was stuck in on the bone, and contractions got very intense. All of a sudden, I told everybody that I thought he was coming out. They checked and sure enough, he was ready. My midwife had enough time to run in, get prepared, and help Phin out. The pushing phase didn't last long, since he came out in three pushes, and I hardly helped him. My body just knew what to do this time.

Having the natural delivery I had always wanted was very empowering for me. I am so thankful that I had such a great support system for my 18-hour labor. Ken was able to sleep through a good portion of it since Stephanie was there to help me, and that allowed him to support me at the end when I really needed it. I wouldn't change a thing that I did this time, and I now have another beautiful baby boy to enjoy. God is good!

Weslee's New Room Decor

2011-05-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

March Photos

2011-05-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

February Photos

2011-05-24T08:48:00.000-07:00

Belated Christmas/Birthday for Weslee

2011-02-19T18:08:00.000-08:00

Ken's sister Melissa, her husband Wade, and twins Zachary and Rowan stopped by for a late Christmas/Birthday celebration with us. Weslee loved playing with his cousins, and getting presents with plenty of moving parts!

Weslee's First Basketball Hoop

2011-02-19T18:03:00.000-08:00

Grandpa Jessup unwrapping their birthday gift for Weslee

He didn't understand that he needed to wait to shoot a basket until it was fully assembled

Grandpa helping Weslee dunk

Of course, the big boys needed to try it out, too

He shoots, he scores!

Birthday Presents from Mom and Dad

2011-02-19T17:56:00.000-08:00

He got a little overzealous with the opening

Mom's choice was alphabet magnets for the fridge

He was a bit more careful with this package

He saw the wheels and decided it should, "Go, Go, GO!" right away

Dad's choice was wooden blocks in a little rolling box... I think the wheels were almost a bigger hit than the blocks!

Weslee's 2nd Birthday Card from Great-Grandma Laurene

2011-02-19T17:49:00.000-08:00

Weslee opening his card

He wanted us to read it to him like a book

Showing us the card

And finally, deciding it would be a fun idea to turn the "pages" with his foot.

Weslee's 2nd Birthday

2011-02-19T17:37:00.000-08:00

Weslee watching everybody sing "Happy Birthday" to him

Cupcakes! This year's cupcakes were a bigger hit with him than for his 1st birthday.

Ken supervising the cupcake carnage

Giving up on the fork and going with the hands

Weslee and his friends during present time

I still cannot believe that my baby boy is 2 years old! My, how time flies! If you don't believe me, check out the first blog post with pictures of him from January 2009. Such a tiny little guy has grown into a pretty independent and energy-filled toddler. He's so curious about the world, and is often torn between wanting to cuddle with Mom and Dad and wanting to run around discovering things on his own. He's definitely a smart cookie who loves people, loves his animals (dog and cats), and loves just about anything with wheels. Watching him play with his cars or trains and hearing his, "Go, Go, Go!" as they move about is priceless. I have every confidence that he will make a great big brother for Phinehas, once he realizes exactly what a baby is. I'm sure he'll want him to build train tracks with him right away! I can't wait to see how this little boy grows up even more as the years pass, but I am very content to enjoy the times where he still wants to crawl into bed and snuggle with me because I know that it won't last forever. We love you, Weslee!

Family Breakfast at Fat Milo's

2011-02-19T17:30:00.000-08:00

Trains now help us get through outings with a sometimes impatient toddler

Weslee and Ken checking out the menu

They have giant pancakes... and Weslee loves them

A very happy (and satisfactorily full) Ken

Weslee enjoyed his breakfast, too

For anybody who passes through the Sherwood area, we fully recommend stopping in Old Town for breakfast at Fat Milo's (named after the family dog). It's a cute little restaurant with great atmosphere and food that tastes home-cooked.

Weslee wants to be like his Dad

2011-02-19T17:24:00.000-08:00

Weslee learns to recycle. This is actually a job Mom usually does, but I told him Dad does it, too.

He's very proud of his new skill

Trying to put on a broken pair of Dad's glasses

I told him he doesn't want to have glasses, he wants perfect vision... but it's hard to argue with him when he's this stinkin' cute in them, isn't it?

Christmas 2010

2011-02-19T17:15:00.000-08:00

Weslee opening his new Mickey Mouse (who he calls "The Mouse") pj's on Christmas Eve

A car! With all the cars he got, he's set for life.

Ken gets Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening" devotional

Ken helping Weslee figure out wrapping paper

Ken: "How did you know I wanted Valley of Vision?!"
Me: "Who wouldn't want a Puritan book of prayers?!"

November Photots

2011-02-19T17:08:00.000-08:00

Weslee loves when Grandpa Jessup lets him ride the horse at Fred Meyer

My dad carving the turkey (my Mom gives him that apron)

Family Photo Fall 2010

Grandma and Grandpa Jessup with grandkids Sela, Quinn, and Weslee

October Photos

2011-02-19T16:55:00.000-08:00

At the Greek Festival

Weslee hyped up on sugar at the Greek Festival

"Driving"

Weslee as Martin Luther (complete with the 95 Theses) at the church Fall Family Festival

Pregnancy Crazies

2010-11-04T08:00:00.001-07:00

Baby Cook, 9 weeks

I haven't blogged much about this pregnancy- in fact, I'm not certain that I've mentioned it at all on this blog. This pregnancy has been both easier and more difficult in different ways from when I was pregnant with Weslee. I didn't have a miscarriage scare, which made things a lot easier. I did get just as sick as I was with Weslee, but this time I knew to get some medication for it instead of ending up in the hospital. The unfortunate thing about this pregnancy has been the migraines and vertigo. I didn't even know that pregnancy could bring on vertigo, but I found out later that it's not uncommon because of all the fluid changes in the body.

That said, I'm 18 weeks now and we find out if this little one is a boy or a girl November 20, which I am very excited about. I think we'll paint the baby's room a pale mint color so the room is neutral but not the weird whitish color it is now. Weslee is going to get the futon bunk bed in his room for his "big boy" bed, and the crib will move into the other bedroom. I'm not sure exactly what at toddler's room should look like, but I'm sure we'll figure out something fun for him.

I have SO many things listed to get done before this baby arrives, but I'm lucky if I just get my normal weekly list completed. If you have never been pregnant, you may not know that there is this urge we expecting women get called "nesting". Well, my nesting urge hit a couple weeks ago, and it has been plenty frustrating that I can't do everything RIGHT NOW.

It's actually given me a good amount of anxiety because I have the desire to throw out/get rid of about half of the things we own. In talking to my friends, I know this isn't uncommon, but I don't remember having to do this when I was pregnant last time. Granted, we moved from an apartment to our current house, so a lot of that paring down was probably done in the moving process. Either way, I know we'll have to do something with all the "stuff" in our current guest bedroom/future baby's room.

So I'm open to suggestions. How do you simplify your life when needed? What methods do you use in sorting keep/donate/trash when going through all that "stuff"? Do you have any creative storage ideas for kids' rooms or decorating ideas for a toddler?

This poor mama with the pregnancy crazies appreciates any input. :)

A call for moratorium on "brokenness"

2010-10-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

I am no theological expert, and I'm not even that great at memorizing scripture. I'm a sinner like everybody else, but I've been saved by grace through faith in Jesus' precious atoning blood shed on the cross for my sins.

That said, as I desire to grow closer to God, I am constantly looking to be more and more biblical in my life- the things I think, say, and do. On more than one occasion that has led me to awareness of flaws in the modern Church and the way we do things in Christianity as a whole.

One of the things I've noticed is how we are moving toward more post-modern and emergent language in churches. It's like we've become too afraid of offending people to just call disobedience to God "sin". The popular word to use now is "brokenness" and I just don't think it accurately portrays how devastating our transgressions are to a perfect and Holy God.

Jesus is not merely a cosmic Mr. Fix-It character who comes and tweaks some loose screws to make us better. He is God come in flesh, condescended to manhood, crucified on a cross to blot out the stains we could never cleanse ourselves. We don't need "tweaking", we need salvation!

In language, words have meaning, and an accurate portrayal of those words makes all the difference in how we perceive what is being said. If you do a word search of the Bible, you'll find that the term "broken" is most used in reference to having a broken or contrite spirit, people being brokenhearted over sin, or in God breaking and punishing His enemies. We don't see sin portrayed as us being broken, but instead bluntly stated as a grave offense against God.

"But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. "
James 1:14-15

Why then, do we substitute "sin" with "brokenness"? People have understood sin in that three-letter word for thousands of years, but we somehow have decided that it just doesn't work for us anymore, that we know better than the inspired words from God? I wonder if it's more an issue of the church being too afraid to boldly proclaim God's law, and the Gospel. When we do so properly, we cannot avoid the issue of sin; it must be addressed directly, and explained so people understand what it means.

"For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it--he righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:or all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."
Romans 3:20-26

I believe substituting "sin" with "brokenness" does not allow for people to understand the full gravity of their transgression against God. It is dishonest to only give people part of the picture, and cowardly to care more about appeasing others than the state of their souls for eternity. How can we properly repent without knowing the full weight of our sins, and how can we truly appreciate the extent of Jesus' sacrifice and the gift of forgiveness and grace if we don't understand what we have been saved from?

So I hereby call for a moratorium on the terms "broken" and "brokenness" in churches. I pray that pastors would be bold enough and love others enough to give them the full biblical picture, that they would desire their flocks have meat and not only milk. I pray that in our evangelism efforts we would be completely honest and not gloss over things that may be offensive and risk that the person may never understand and come to true repentance.

I would like to clarify that I am not saying you can never use another term besides "sin". The Bible uses other words as well. What I am saying is that we should rely on scripture first, and take to heart that, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." (2 Tim 3:16-17) It is beneficial to expound on "sin" and make known to people the law so they may see what sin truly is before they hear the good news of the Gospel. May we never be so arrogant as to think that we have found a new and more relevant way of doing things than God gave us in His Word.

"If you really long to save men’s souls, you must tell them a great deal of disagreeable
truth."
C.H. Spurgeon

Relativism and Christianity Accountability

2010-10-07T15:03:00.000-07:00

I have a love/hate relationship with social networking. I love that I can keep in touch with friends, see what's up in people's lives, get interesting news and fact, and in general feel connected to the world even when I'm at home with Weslee.

On the flip side is my utter sadness over what I sometimes see from my brothers and sisters in Christ. Somehow we have decided that even though we are representatives of the Most High, nobody is entitled to EVER question something that we say in (let's face it) a public forum. We misuse scripture and speak of the freedoms we have in Christ, and throw out all of those that caution us to not abuse that freedom and cause others to fall.

"But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,"has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. " -- 2 Corinthians 4:2-6

I obviously do not expect the same standards from those who do not profess to be Christians, but I will definitely hold those professing Christianity to the Bible's standards, and not the world's. The sad thing is that the world's standards have invaded the Church, and we can see that reflected in how Christians perceive the world. No longer are we ready to search scriptures to determine right and wrong. If it feels good, it's ok. No longer are we offended at things that are questionable, or that hint at sins the Bible clearly speaks out against. It's all relative... you have your right, and I have mine, and we'll all just coexist.

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world.And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. " -- 1 John 2:15-17

We have been beaten down and gagged by the secular world we live in, and we have let ourselves become part of it, instead of standing out within it. We've even adopted popular secular arguments, accusing those who dare to cite scripture and point to the Bible as being "intolerant" and "judgmental", claiming that what we do is nobody's business but our own. We fail to see the contradiction in our own words, that we proclaim our beliefs while telling others to keep their own to themselves. And this comes from those who claim to be CHRISTIANS!

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned itand how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,hat the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. " -- 2 Timothy 3:14-17

I would have a lot more respect for these people if they would venture to the scriptures themselves, and use God's Word to defend their positions, instead of just spouting off without any biblical backing whatsoever. I often post things that I have taken a lot of time finding scriptural support for, and find that the response (from Christians) is a blatant ad-hominem attack against my person or the topic, with no support for their position. The Bible does not tell us that our beliefs are based off of "feelings", but on the TRUTH. All truth is in the Bible, and we should be ready to defend our faith against those who would attack it, even if it's another professing believer.

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." -- Colossians 3:1-3

If you follow Christ, and proclaim to be a Christian, your life is not your own. It belongs to God, and therefore you are His representative here on earth. EVERYTHING you say and do is a representation of Him, and you will be held accountable for it. Ignorance of scriptures will be no excuse when we stand in front of our Lord on judgment day.

"'You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.'" -- Matthew 5:13-16

We are to be salt and light in this world, we are to boldly proclaim the Gospel- Christ crucified for OUR sins, and we are to go against the tide of the secular world that people may know who and what we stand for. I'm sorry, but what we say and do IS the business of others, especially when in public, and to say that it's not is completely ignorant.

"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid." -- Proverbs 12:1 "And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle,encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all." -- 1 Thessalonians 5:14

We are looking past scriptures that call us to accountability to our brothers and sisters in Christ, those that encourage us to be involved in each other's lives and to admonish others when we are concerned that they may stumble, and call them out on sins because we love them. We are to love discipline as Christ followers, but instead we reject it and stand on our "freedom", as if it will make us untouchable. I'm sorry, but separating ourselves from the discipline and admonishment of others in Christ is to shun the scriptures, to spit in the face of God. It's telling God, "hey, thanks for the salvation and all, but I don't really need you or those you put in my life to help me."

"The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death." -- Proverbs 14:27

Where is our fear of the Lord that drives us to passionately study His Word and desire to only do right? Where is the desire, the need to flee from sin and live more holy lives? It seems that we have forgotten the ultimate Truth in God's Word, and have instead turned to man for our standards. I pray that we return to our Savior, lest we be cast out.

August Pictures

2010-10-04T20:48:00.000-07:00

Trip to the Zoo

2010-10-04T20:43:00.000-07:00

Dinner with Weslee and His Dad

2010-10-04T20:37:00.000-07:00

Tunes on Tuesday

2010-10-04T20:30:00.000-07:00

Cookie!

2010-10-04T20:24:00.000-07:00

Hey, Mom, I'm cute

I will bribe you with kisses for a cookie...

Oh yeaaaah

Rawr! Cookie monster!

And the evidence has been eliminated...

Summer BBQ with Friends

2010-10-04T20:13:00.000-07:00

July Pictures

2010-10-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

St. Paul Rodeo

2010-10-04T19:04:00.000-07:00

The Anti-Family Church, pt. 5- Family

2010-07-15T07:50:00.000-07:00

I hope you've gleaned some kind of wisdom from the previous installments of The Anti-Family Church. If you were unable to tell, I am very passionate about this topic, as I see it as a failing of the Church today. I look back on the early church and see how they were structured, and lament over the position of the Church in today's world, in the hearts of her members. God's people have been continually adulterous throughout history, and we are no different, worshiping ourselves and our secular ideals that have been instilled by society today. Yet contrary to breaking free of the bonds of sin, we have become comfortable in our wayward ways and embraced a life of selfish desires instead of biblical wisdom.

This departure from the scriptures is evident when we look at the Church today. It is especially evident when we see how the Church values the family. The former articles give a good picture of the neglect of the individuals in churches, but it is the summation of all those things that leads to the dismal reality of the decline of the family. We no longer look toward the future, putting our focus on raising up generations of faithful Christ followers. Instead, we focus on ourselves, making sure we feel that we are right with God. What we often do not see is the reality that in order to be right with God, we must actually care about others.

The blame lies in every follower of Christ who, in their lukewarm states, have neglected basic biblical principles within their churches and families. We are each of us at fault, and it will take every one of us to correct it. I tend, though, to hold those in positions of authority to a higher standard than your basic church layman. Why are our pastors and elders not up in arms about how their parishioners are living? Why do we not see outrage at sin within the church, and preaching and teaching from the pulpit that drives sinners to repentance and strengthens the faithful?

It is a sad day when these issues go seemingly unnoticed, and absolutely appalling that- if the authority figures in churches do know- they are doing nothing about it. Please, do something! I know so many concerned Christians who are tired of hearing their pastors say they are working on the problem, without seeing any effort toward it.

It is not enough to mention a scripture about biblical living and leave the people to go forth in their week. Discipleship was never focused on a single day, a single sermon, a single class to attend. It is an ongoing process that must be entwined in our daily lives, just as God should be the focus of everything that we do.

What we are doing is not working, and as such we need to change what we are doing. Break away from the world and stop being of it. We are to be shining examples of Christ's love and saving grace, but how are we to do that when we cannot even disciple our own families? Where are those mentors, those who are wiser than us, who will guide us in our walks, pray with and for us, support us, and love us? Where are our brothers and sisters in Christ who are willing to gather together in fellowship to worship and learn together? Where is the love for the brethren?

Christians, be bold in the truth! Encourage your leaders to take on these issues and make a difference in the Church. If they do not listen, pray for them, because those who reject the truth of scripture need so badly to hear it. We should be righteously angry when we see God's Word twisted and warped to please the masses, and we should demand that it stop.

My desire is to glorify God in all that I do, to be faithful to Him, to grow in holiness and be closer to Him. I want to stand before Him on the day of judgment and know that I have brought him glory and honor, to hear that I have been a good and faithful servant. I want to be blameless before him because of the saving blood of Jesus Christ, who died that I might live, that I might spend eternity with Him. To do that, I must follow His instruction, fulfill the Great Commission, and disciple. How better to do that than to start at home, with my family, with my church family?

Is that your desire, and will you step up and be bold enough, trust in God enough, to go against the current and stand fast with the Lord? My prayer is that your answer is "yes".

"A church that does not exist to reclaim heathenism, to fight with evil, to destroy
error, to put down falsehood, a church that does not exist to take the side of the poor,
to denounce injustice and to hold up righteousness, is a church that has no right to
be."
-- C.H. Spurgeon

The Anti-Family Church, pt. 4- Children

2010-07-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

"Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, 'Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.' "
-- Luke 18:15-17

Perhaps one of the most startling occurrences in churches today is the neglect of children within the body. We shuffle them off to classes to color scenes from Bible stories, watch movies, and play- while the adults hear the Word of God. Not all children's services are bad, of course, and some instructors are very invested in bringing souls to Christ, but they seem to be in the minority.

It begins at a young age, when parents are encouraged to drop their infants off in the church nursery. And what if you dare to bring your child to service with you? Be prepared for scowls and scoffs if your child makes a peep- churchgoers are no longer accustomed to having their service interrupted by the very ones Jesus drew near. It's a sad testament to how much the world has influenced the Church's view on children.

What does the Bible say about children?

"Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate."
-- Psalm 127:3-6

We are to rejoice in the children God gives us, to be thankful He chooses to expand our families. This goes against the popular belief that more than two kids is "too much". I've encountered this belief personally in more than one church, and have heard from many other women who feel pressured to limit their family size because of the opposition they meet in the body of Christ. Shame on those who would dare insinuate children are not of the Lord, and would act as if they are burdensome. Easy? No, children are not easy. Blessings? Yes! Children were consistent blessings for those in the Bible, and why should we reject such a blessing from the Most High?

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."
-- Proverbs 22:6

It is the parent's responsibility to train up their child, to teach them the ways of the Lord. The responsibility rests on no other, and parents should be called to disciple their own children instead of just assuming that the youth pastor will do it for them.

"Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him."
-- Proverbs 22:15

As parents, we should not fall prey to the popular secular belief that a child should be allowed to do as they wish in order to develop who they are. Children need direction and correction. How else will they learn right from wrong if the parent does not teach them? It does a disservice to our children to act as if they are blameless, for they are just as sinful, wicked, and depraved as any other human being, and our desire should be that they come to salvation, not that they have good "self-esteem".

"And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 'Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.' "
-- Mark 9: 36-37

We are not to turn away the smallest among us, lest we reject the teachings of Jesus. We are to embrace those children, teach them, raise them to love the Lord. By following Jesus' teaching, we are following what is right and true, and pleasing God.

"Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord."
-- Colossians 3:20

This is pretty self-explanatory. We are to raise children to respect us, not only because we desire it, but because it pleases the Lord.

The whole modern concept of children and their place spits in the face of the biblical model of children and the family. Then we sit back and wonder why our children rise up and curse their parents in rebellion. We have no one to blame but ourselves. Ultimately the responsibility lies with the parents of the child, but the Church should be doing the job of discipling the parents in such a way as to make them able to raise their children in a biblical and godly manner.

"God has designed your family- not the youth group, not the children's ministry, not the Christian [or Government] school, but your family- as the principle discipling agent in your children's lives."
-- Voddie Baucham

Sharia Law In The United States

2010-07-06T14:58:00.000-07:00

The Anti-Family Church, pt. 3- Women

2010-07-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

The vast majority of women I talk to ask one question in regards to discipleship: where are the Titus 2 women in the church? For those of you who are not familiar with what scripture says in regards to women in Titus 2, here it is:

"Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled." -- Titus 2:3-5
The lack of older women discipling younger women is shocking. I myself have searched for a mentor for years now, and have as yet been unable to find somebody willing. I rely mostly on blogs from older Christian women, and a few online who are willing to discuss tough topics. When we lack older women to teach the younger, is it any wonder why we have generations coming up who have no clue as to what the Bible says about women? Why are we surprised that feminism has taken root, and biblical femininity has gone by the wayside?

The Bible puts the focus of the married woman on her husband and children. Is it acceptable for a woman to remain unmarried? Yes, but only if she's been called to a celibate life in service of the Lord. Otherwise she should be preparing for marriage and family. Today, however, we find women focusing mainly on their careers, and treating husbands and children as if they are intrusions on their life. It is so backwards it would be laughable if it weren't doing so much damage to the Church.

Let's look at whats the Bible says about the role of women:

"... likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness--with good works. 11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. " -- 1 Timothy 2:9-14

"... encourage... older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity." -- 1 Timothy 5:1-2

"Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external--the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear-- but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening." -- 1 Peter 3:1-6

Women are to be respectable, modest, pure, self-controlled, and submissive to their husbands. Why? Because that is what God tells us to do. The Bible even talks about being obedient when our husbands are disobedient. We are to set an example for others in our dedication to the Lord, in the way we conduct ourselves. That doesn't mean acting high and mighty on Sundays and going home to demean our husband's masculinity and ignore our children during the week.

Instruction to women as wives and mothers is most often combined in scripture. We see that it is assumed that women who are married will be mothers, with exceptions for those who should rejoice even in a circumstance of infertility. We see nowhere where a woman is instructed to avoid having children or pawn those children off on others to raise.

It would make most sense to raise up young girls to be wives and mothers, to disciple them in the ways of family life so they are prepared for the service they will enter in life. How many women have gone out into the world to make their way, and come home to their families without a clue as to what their role is to be? Who is taking the time to teach younger women to be wives and mothers so they are not at a disadvantage and do not damage their marriage and family when they get to that point in life? Are those in positions of authority prepared to answer for how the women under their care turn out?

I believe we also must instruct women to be content in their position in life, whether they be single or married, whether they are childless or have a house full of little ones. If they are called to a celibate life, then they should rejoice in it, but if they are called to be married, they should glorify God as well. We just must ensure that whichever it is, women are not doing it out of a selfish and sinful nature, but to the glory of God.

What we lack in the Church today is women who are bold enough to throw off the secular teachings of the feministic society we live in, and instead embrace the biblical femininity our Lord has prescribed. Instead of encouraging women to care for their families, the Church puts precedence on those who have "real" jobs, as if wife-hood and motherhood are not jobs in themselves. We should put priority on those things the Bible puts priority on, and not what is most popular in society. Children need their mothers, and husbands need their wives. If that means giving up our selfish dreams and coming home to meet our God-given responsibilities, then so be it. The Church should support that, and even push for it to ensure that the priority is put back on raising godly families instead of fulfilling selfish desires.

Is this an easy task? Of course not. I would venture to say that most women will not agree with me. I've heard the argument regarding the Proverbs 31 woman, and how she must have worked outside the home. There is a HUGE difference between a woman working outside the home and a woman staying at home to raise her children while also having jobs she does on the side. The stay-at-home-mother does much more than simply sit at home with her children. Most I know also volunteer in their church and community, have home businesses, or do other activities. They rarely have any down time, yet people assume they are lazy.

We should call women to use their God-given talents to help raise up lives for the Lord right at home. What good is it for us to go out into the world while those under our roofs are going to hell? Where is our sense of responsibility? God never says we will get to do everything we want in life; He specifically tells us it will be full of trials. Our promise is in Heaven, and won't it be wonderful to be able to stand before Him on judgment day and know that we did not neglect those God put under our care, but instead nurtured and raised up generations who would change the world?

Of Cowboys and Caner

2010-07-04T14:21:00.000-07:00

Mama's don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys- or, at the very least, don't let them grow up to be anything close to what the soon-to-be-former president of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. Ergun Caner, is starting to look like.
I have been watching events in this Caner debacle for about six months, and have stayed out of it up until now. I don't like drama much, and politics mixed with religion isn't really my thing. This week, though, changed my opinion on the situation. I'd been trying very hard to give Dr. Ergun Caner the benefit of the doubt, hoping that the claims laid against him would be unfounded. Evidence continued to pile up (I'll refer you other places for that: here, here, here, and here) and I prayed that there would be an adequate explanation, that Dr. Caner would not be the deceiver the evidence seemed to suggest.
I was glad when Liberty University launched an investigation into the claims against Dr. Caner, confident that the situation would finally be resolved. What I found, however, was that the university effectively obfuscated on what should have been their responsibility as a Christian school, to uphold strict standards of conduct according to biblical methods.
The statement the university released June 25 (link to SBC Today article here) read as follows:

"After a thorough and exhaustive review of Dr. Ergun Caner’s public statements, a committee consisting of four members of Liberty University’s Board of Trustees has concluded that Dr. Caner has made factual statements that are self-contradictory. However, the committee found no evidence to suggest that Dr. Caner was not a Muslim who converted to Christianity as a teenager, but, instead, found discrepancies related to matters such as dates, names and places of residence. Dr. Caner has cooperated with the board committee and has apologized for the discrepancies and misstatements that led to this review. Dr. Caner’s current contractual term as Dean of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary expires on June, 30, 2010. Dr. Caner will no longer serve as Dean of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. The university has offered, and Dr. Caner has accepted, an employment contract for the 2010-2011 academic year. Dr. Caner will remain on the faculty of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary as a professor."

Now, I'm no expert, but even I can see the political tap dancing that the university is doing with this statement. You will find a plethora of information in the links I provided discussing why the conclusion of the investigation is not satisfactory. I will focus on my personal opinion, which is while it's all well and good that we've discovered Caner was really a Muslim (I never had an issue with that), it is just not satisfactory that we have not heard a statement from Caner himself, nor any direct answers to the questions that have been raised.
It seems plain that "factual statements that are self-contradictory" just doesn't make sense. You cannot have two statements, both true, that contradict each other in this context. The opposing statements are on such opposite ends of the spectrum it seems impossible that it could have been a simple mistake- multiple times. You cannot be born in two separate countries, and I haven't yet met a person who repeatedly makes those same kinds of "mistakes".
Even further than that, the university found that possible deception is not a moral issue? Come on people, you are supposed to be pillars of the academic society, an example for the young minds your schools shape. Your staff should be held to- at the very least- the same standards as your students. I highly doubt that it would be acceptable for a student to make factual claims that are self-contradictory in any of their schoolwork. In fact, any reasonable educator would assume that in some place, there is deception.
Yet, here we have Liberty and others fighting to the bitter end to exonerate Caner, yet for some reason his contract as dean will not be renewed. That, friends, is a contradiction in itself. Why relieve somebody of their position (or step down) if you have nothing to hide? What example is the university setting for those who attend?
Why would we, as parents, choose to send our children to a place where moral standards are quickly becoming cloudier than the oil slick in the Gulf? We are responsible, in God's eyes, for the raising of our children. It would be highly irresponsible for any parent to send their child to a university that doesn't uphold the highest biblical standards, or even basic moral standards. Honesty is key in a Christian lifestyle, and those in positions of authority should strive to be above reproach in everything they do.
Liberty has shown, by their politically-driven response to the Caner situation, that they have abandoned those high biblical standards. I would encourage parents to take a hard look at sending their children to be taught under questionable circumstances, not just at Liberty, but at any university.
We want to stand before God at judgment with a clear conscience, knowing that we have done everything in our power to raise our children in the way they should go. With education playing a key role in how children turn out, I will choose to send my children to places that will turn them out in God's way, and that are not bent towards tickling ears and pleasing the masses.

The Anti-Family Church, pt. 2- Men

2010-06-29T13:07:00.000-07:00

I will only touch lightly on the subject of discipling men in the church, since I am a woman and I believe that men should teach men. It doesn't take an expert to tell, though, that the church is not raising men to be leaders in their families.

What does the Bible say about men?

"But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness... Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us." --Titus 2:1-2, 6-8

This means men must actually know what sound doctrine is. Men who already fit this bill must disciple other men so they, too, can learn and teach others, especially their families. They should hear sound doctrine from the pulpit, in classes, in home discipleship, from mentors. They should be held accountable to high biblical standards, and the accountability must be consistent. I find one of the downfalls of the Church is that, even when sound doctrine is taught, there is no follow-up to see that it is being applied in the lives of believers. Where is our fellowship and mentoring to make sure men understand how to be men, husbands and fathers? God didn't expect us to do it alone, or He wouldn't have written so much in His Word and instructed us to keep each other accountable.

What instruction do husbands receive?

"But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God." -- 1 Corinthians 11:3

"For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior... Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her... In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body... However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."
--Ephesians 5:23, 25, 28-30, 33

"Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them." -- Colossians 3:19

"Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered." -- 1 Peter 3:7

Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the church, treat them kindly, be understanding, show them honor, cherish them, protect them, and guide them as their head. Why? Because they are followers of Christ. Not because they "feel like it" or because their wife may or may not be attractive, kind, and respectful. It is commanded they do so out of respect and obedience for God.

What does the Bible say about fathers?

"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." -- Ephesians 6:4

"Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged." -- Colossians 3:21

I think most instruction will be in the section on children, but it is clear that the father is the head of the family, and he is in charge of bringing up his children in the Lord.

For more information about biblical manhood, I highly recommend Voddie Baucham's series titled "Biblical Manhood" on YouTube (the link is to part 1 of 8).

An interesting commentary on manhood by Geoffrey Botkin "A Gift for the Family Hearth"

The Anti-Family Church, pt. 1- Introduction

2010-06-29T12:46:00.000-07:00

I've been contemplating this blog series for months now, and have been putting it on the back burner until I could find some time to actually think it through a little more. I figured when I started dreaming about writing the posts it was time to get to it. I'll give you a disclaimer: this may rile quite a few people, which is ok. Before flying off the handle about it, think about whether you're upset because you think I'm dead wrong, or because you're being convicted. Then, if you decide I'm wrong, please give me biblical proof for your side, since I am doing so for mine. It's only fair. :)

The Evangelical world as a majority has been moving away from family church for a long time now, and moving toward seeker-friendly/seeker-sensitive church. Along with that has come the shift towards catering toward man-centered theology, and the idea that "what feels good must be right". In today's society that tends to be the idea that freedom is key, and avoiding family (or family responsibilities) is a perfectly acceptable alternative to raising children and instructing them in the Lord's ways. I have pretty strong feelings against seeker-sensitivity, as I see it as completely against biblical directive.

What as Christians are we to do? Let's take a look at what Jesus says:

"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.' " -- Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)

How do we make disciples? Is it accomplished through a catchy worship service, a neat video, and funny jokes? Is it by giving "life principles" without cracking open a Bible? Do we help disciple people by feeding, clothing, and assisting them without once mentioning Jesus? Do we help our families and children by pushing them into segregated classes once a week to learn about Jesus (maybe) from teachers who themselves may or may not share the same biblical standards as we hold to?

It seems the only effective way to disciple a person is by using the Bible, God's inspired Word, which is the only place we can find the directions for a life dedicated to Him. When we get away from the Truth revealed through the Bible, we move away from God and toward man. Man-centered theology says, "it's all about me, me, me" when really we should only be focused on God, and not what makes us "feel good". Let me tell you, this is an incredibly flawed standard, especially in regards to family, which often does not make us "feel good". Family life is difficult, and as fellow believers we are to uplift and encourage each other. We should be focused on teaching men to be bold men of God, husbands, fathers, and women to be bold women of God, wives, mothers. We should encourage parents to teach their children and raise them in the way they should go.

It would appear that the direction of our society, of which the majority still claim Christian beliefs, is enough to point to the failure of the Church to disciple properly. Where is the accountability, the fellowship, the bold teaching of Truth that angers sinners and uplifts the saints? Have the days of proclaiming Truth and a Gospel so powerful it saves even the most wretched of men passed along with the reformers? May it not be so!

This series will address the areas that I see as needing the most attention in the church in regards to family: men, women, children, and family.

Purple Cow Winery

2010-06-27T18:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we make a trip out to Purple Cow Winery in Forest Grove. Ken does the advertising for the owner, and he'd invited us to check it out. They were having a wine tasting, and though we're not really wine people, the kinds we tasted were very good. We were able to tour the area where they store the wine, and the view from the winery was amazing. From the hill where it's located you can see the coast range mountains, and one of the guys pointed out a hill that was on the show "Ax Men". We were able to see the baby grapes on the vine, and Weslee really enjoyed being able to run free on the land. I think we'd enjoy making another trip up there sometime. They were very family friendly, and not at all stuffy like some of the bigger vineyards.

5 Years Strong

2010-06-27T17:46:00.000-07:00

Five stargazer lily stems Ken had delivered throughout the day

Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake

Mini replica of the top tier of our wedding cake with champagne and strawberries

June 25 Ken and I celebrated 5 years of marriage, and it was a fantastic day! First, Ken had flowers delivered to me while he was at work. The first delivery of lilies came with a card that said, "The Wedding Day", the second "January 23, 2009: A Son is Born", the third "For the Future". For those who don't know, stargazer lilies are one of my favorite flowers, and were also the flowers we had at our wedding.

We went out for a date night that evening, and Ken had planned everything out. We went to dinner at Bugatti's, a wonderful Italian restaurant where I had the BEST basil-cream tortellini. Then Ken surprised me with the new Deeanne Gist novel from Lifeway. Next we split a piece of the most decadent Godiva chocolate cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory. We stopped at the George Fox campus on the way home to take some anniversary pics, and ended the night with a bit of the wedding cake replica and champagne with strawberries.

For a couple who rarely goes out alone, it was a special time to celebrate with my husband. We look forward to many more years of marriage to grow together in the Lord and as a family.

Father's Day

2010-06-27T17:31:00.000-07:00

Sela

Weslee and Quinn playing ball

Playing with blocks

Quinn on the move

Happy Father's Day, Ken!

Diaper Days

2010-06-27T17:17:00.000-07:00

Sweet Tomatoes

2010-06-27T17:07:00.000-07:00

The Stepping Stone Cafe

2010-06-27T16:32:00.000-07:00

Weslee checking out the menu

Digging into his first "mancake"

Back in May we made a trip to The Stepping Stone Cafe in Portland. If you watch the show "Man vs. Food" you may recognize the name, and the giant 16" stack of "mancakes" in front of Weslee. We ordered one and split the delicious blueberry pancakes, and still took home half of them! We'd definitely recommend a trip to the Cafe, though be prepared to wait in line for a table (our wait on a Saturday morning was 45 minutes). The food is worth it, and the servers treat you like a regular.

Mother's Day

2010-05-12T15:06:00.000-07:00

Carnations from church

I have a wonderful husband who is patient with taking pictures of me :)

Weslee running on the deck at Grandpa and Grandma Jessup's house
(note the "I love Mom" shirt for Mother's Day)

Weslee and I

Family picture, Mother's Day 2010

Fun with Dad at the Mall

2010-05-12T14:49:00.000-07:00

April Fun at Grandpa and Grandma Cook's House

2010-05-12T14:37:00.000-07:00

Playing with the newspaper

Hanging out with Aunt Leanne

Proud of himself for sitting on the step like the big people

Having some pudding with Grandpa

Grandpa showing Weslee how the Wii stuff works

April Pictures

2010-05-12T14:16:00.000-07:00

On Stay-at-Home Motherhood

2010-04-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

"O dear mothers, you have a very sacred trust reposed in you by God! He hath in effect said to you, “Take this child and nurse it for Me, and I will give thee thy wages.” You are called to equip the future man of God, that he may be thoroughly furnished unto every good work. If God spares you, you may live to hear that pretty boy speak to thousands, and you will have the sweet reflection in your heart that the quiet teachings of the nursery led the man to love his God and serve Him. Those who think that a woman detained at home by her little family is doing nothing, think the reverse of what is true. Scarcely can the godly mother quit her home for a place of worship; but dream not that she is lost to the work of the church; far from it, she is doing the best possible service for her Lord. Mothers, the godly training of your offspring is your first and most pressing duty."
-- C.H. Spurgeon

What Enslaves Us?

2010-04-14T14:48:00.000-07:00

This week my dear friend Crystal at Serving God and Family shared a paper with me she wrote for a history class about the Amistad trials. Reading about how the actions of the slaves on Amistad and the trials that followed began to pave the way for the abolition of slavery started to spark some thoughts in my head.

There are many different forms of slavery that have existed throughout history. In the case of the Amistad slaves, they were forced into slavery. People also used to work as indentured servants, where they would work for an appointed amount of time. It seems the oldest form of slavery, and the worst, is our own to sin. We are born into a sinful world, and our hearts are wicked from youth (Genesis 8). The Bible tells us we are slaves to our sinful nature (Galatians 4), and it is God who pulls us off the path of death (Psalm 68:20).

We are all slaves to something, because we are all sinners (Romans 3:23). One thing that I keep somewhat up to date on is feminism in society today. I'm what you would call an anti-feminist, and pro-biblical womanhood. I believe in traditional family hierarchy and values, and I feel some righteous anger when people take what God has created and twist it until it's unrecognizable.

For many women, they are slaves to feminism and what the secular humanistic culture tells them to be. We see everywhere images of what the "perfect" woman is- successful career, beautiful, educated, independent. It seems as if women are set on career tracks as soon as they can walk these days. We are told that to be worth something we must get out and fend for ourselves, do what makes us happy- often at the expense of others.

The ideal our society holds for women is not the biblical ideal. The Bible holds the woman in very high esteem as a creation of God- not because of where she went to school or what job she holds. The biblical ideal is a family in harmony, where the father is the primary provider and the mother cares for the home and children. Today, we are so focused on ourselves that we throw what the Bible says out, and instead replace it with egalitarian and feminist views. Suddenly the authors of the Bible are viewed as oppressive males, and what they write is unreliable because it doesn't fit into what feels good for us.

We fall on our knees and worship the god of self, without a second thought about forsaking the one true God who created us. We gladly run into the bondage of sin, and we enjoy it. We justify the lack of dedication to our families with the need to provide for them. We justify the lack of affection for our husbands by their lack of provision that requires us to help out, or the fatigue that is a result of putting time in outside the home. We justify the lack of time we spend in Bible study, prayer, and worship with similar excuses.

Maybe we daughters of God Most High should take a lesson from the slaves who were so passionate about their freedom and break free from the chains of feminism that hold us back from true biblical womanhood. We need to give our worries to the Lord and realize that He is sovereign and the only one we should strive to glorify is Him.

Fun with kids Easter 2010

2010-04-09T12:48:00.000-07:00

Sela laying on her new lamb

Grandma Ruth with Meredith and Sela

Weslee climbing into the rocking chair

Quinn and Weslee playing with Weslee's new duck

Quinn and the duck

Easter 2010

2010-04-09T12:19:00.001-07:00

Ken with Quinn and Weslee

My Dad, Mom and Grandma with Weslee, Quinn, and Sela

With Grandma

Family Picture Easter 2010

Wooden Shoe Farm Tulip Festival

2010-04-09T12:11:00.001-07:00

March Pictures

2010-04-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

Work v. Play

2010-04-09T08:59:00.000-07:00

"I have nothing to say against recreation in its proper place. Certain forms of
recreation are needful and useful; but it is a wretched thing when amusement
becomes a vocation. Amusement should be used to do us good “like a medicine”: it
must never be used as the food of the man. From early morning till late at night some
spend their time in a round of frivolities, or else their very work is simply carried on
to furnish them funds for their pleasures. This is vicious. Many have had all holy
thoughts and gracious resolutions stamped out by perpetual trifling. Pleasure so
called is the murderer of thought. This is the age of excessive amusement:
everybody craves for it, like a babe for its rattle."
-- C.H. Spurgeon

I came across this quote this morning, and I must say I was convicted by it. I started to think about the times when I only do "enough" of my household work so I can go and do something else that's more fun. I wonder how many others fall into this trap?

It's not surprising, after all, that we would stumble in this way, considering all that the secular world tells us we deserve. The mantra is "take care of yourself", "me, me, me", "do what feels good" and we as Christians too often fall into that category. I know that I've in the past written something along these lines, but I figure if I fail at it again and again, others probably do as well.

I may step on some toes here, but if you find yourself feeling offended, go first to scripture and base your refutation there instead of on emotional reactions. I think the Church is failing at keeping biblical instructions. Not that we are under the Law, but that in our freedom in Christ we are not following the instruction we are given. Nowhere do I see the Bible telling us to do "just enough" so the job is done, but not so much that it robs us of our "free time" or "recreation. In fact, we are to set an example in the things we do, and I'm fairly certain that we don't want others to think Christianity is only about "doing just enough" for Jesus. We want others to see that we are so grateful that God would choose us, so depraved and sinful and undeserving, and save us from damnation that we may have hope in eternity with Him that we would do anything He asks of us with a joyful heart and not one that is seemingly burdened by "rules".

I often see people who act like the work they do in their lives is such a burden, and they will suffer through it because God instructs them to. I am that person at times, and more often than I would like to admit. I think God placed the above quote in my path today to bring my heart back to where it should always be- focused on God and His glory.

Do you need to re-focus your attitude and actions? What steps will you take to find joy in everything you do, even in work, that Christ might show in your life? Today I will meditate and pray on what God has brought to light. I will be thankful for the grace that God has so graciously bestowed on this worthless sinner, and will do my best to find joy in even the most mundane tasks. I will look anew on the time I spend with my husband and son, such blessings in my life. I will realize that pleasure is good, but I am also to take pleasure and rejoice in whatever situation God brings into my life, whether it be work or play.

May I be held accountable for my actions and by God's grace succeed in being a light for Him, an example for others, and may I continually be growing in holiness and love for my King.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2010-03-02T16:09:00.000-08:00

I'm trying something new that I've seen a couple fellow bloggers do. I don't know if I'll be able to keep up every Tuesday, but I'll try. If you're interested in participating in The Simple Woman's Daybook, visit Peggy's site, here.

FOR TODAY
Outside my window... it's raining. Though it's unusually warm and we've had some pleasant days that allowed for trips to the park, the rain has returned for the week.
I am thinking... about a snack. I had a little macaroni and cheese with Weslee for lunch, but saved most of it for him to eat later, so I'm hungry and it's not yet dinner time.
I am thankful for... my family. I have a husband and son who love me with everything they have, and I feel very fortunate and blessed that God has given them to me.
From the kitchen... it's a mess. Ken was kind enough to help with dishes last night because I wasn't feeling well, but I need to go through and wipe everything down and get things in order. It seems everything gets out of place on the weekends.
I am wearing... lounge clothing since I was going to try and take a nap. That obviously didn't happen, lol.
I am creating... cloth wipes. It's a never-ending project, and I've yet to sell any. I don't think I'll have a shortage of them anytime soon, though.
I am going... with the family to the neighbors' house for dinner tonight. I really enjoy the times we get to fellowship with our friends.
I am reading... Wanda Brunstetter books. She's a fantastic author, and I really enjoy reading her books about the Amish.
I am hoping... to get some rest tonight. I get sleep, but not rest. I know it doesn't make sense.
I am hearing... trucks on the highway. We're a few blocks from the main road, but for whatever reason I can always hear the semis as they come into town. That, and people use our road as a shortcut, and they come speeding by during rush hours.
Around the house... it's clean! I haven't gotten to vacuuming, but the toys are picked up and slipcovers are straightened. An accomplishment!
One of my favorite things... Nutella... I have a friend who was eating it last week, and I've wanted it ever since. I really want to put it in a breakfast smoothie.
A few plans for the rest of the week: Cleaning house, laundry, meal planning, working on cutting and sewing wipes, adventures with Ken and Weslee, time with family and friends, etc... pretty typical week for us.
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

First Trip to the Park

2010-02-21T13:48:00.001-08:00

Weslee on the swing

Ken pushing Weslee on the swing

Ken helping Weslee learn to go down the slide

Weslee on the slide

Ken and Weslee on the play structure

With the atypical winter weather we've been having the past few days, we've taken Weslee to the park a couple times. Last summer he was a little too young to really enjoy the park, but now he's all about the swing and slide! He still isn't sure how to walk around on the bark chips, but he has fun on the play structures. I can't wait to see how he does this summer when he gets walking down a little better.

Where's Weslee?

2010-02-21T13:45:00.000-08:00

Weslee loves to play his version of peek-a-boo called "where's Weslee". He'll hide in just about any way he can, and recently he's taken to covering his face to hide. He thinks that if he can't see us, we can't see him, which is very cute.

The Charis Babe: Cloth Baby Wipes

2010-02-14T18:53:00.000-08:00

Boat cloth wipes for baby boy

Dragonfly Cloth wipes for baby girl

Butterfly cloth wipes for baby girl

Example of the terrycloth reverse of the wipes

After making cloth wipes for Weslee, somebody suggested I make them and sell them, so that's what I've decided to do. I'm calling this little endeavor "The Charis Babe" (charis is Greek for grace), and right now I'm just making these double sided flannel and terrycloth wipes. They are absolutely fantastic for different baby needs. I used them for cloth wipes for diapering, washcloths, and burp cloths. They are soft, absorbent, durable, and pretty cute. I've used Weslee's for over a year now and I've not had any of them break down even with frequent washing.

Right now I'm just working by word-of-mouth, and currently sell them by the half-dozen for $7.50. I haven't figured out shipping costs or anything, but if you know somebody who might be interested, spread the word! Currently I only have the above wipe available, but I am working on more and have fabric for 5 or 6 others that should be up in the next month or so.

Weslee Turns 1

2010-02-14T17:06:00.000-08:00

Weslee discovered his balloon before his morning bath on his birthday

Birthday cupcakes, mini milk chocolate cupcakes with blue swirled frosting

Ken helping Weslee open his presents

Birthday bath #2, after the bathroom door was left open and Weslee found the toilet

The day wouldn't be complete without some adult antics- our friend Andy in Ken's giant shoes.

It's amazing to realize that Weslee has been around a whole year now! It seems like just yesterday we were in the hospital having him, and bringing him home for the first time. He's grown so much in the past year, and is a little learning machine. He now walks, runs, talks, and gets into as much trouble as he can!
We are thankful to have such great friends and family who celebrated Weslee's birthday with us. It was a first for us, throwing three parties for a 1-year-old, one for friends and two for family. It was a great weekend for all of us, and we're looking forward to another year with our little guy!

Hoar Frost before the snow storm

2010-02-14T16:52:00.001-08:00

The first of 6" of snow we got that day. These big, beautiful snowflakes are what Weslee was looking at in the prior post.

The morning was beautiful with the hoar frost, and the evening was interesting with so much snow in just a few hours, resulting in Ken being hours late getting home from work with the main road into town shut down for a while. We did end up having some terrific chicken and dumpling soup when he finally made it home that night, a perfect way to end the day, and the year.

Snow: The Perfect End to 2009

2010-02-14T16:44:00.001-08:00

Weslee's first glimpse of snow

Mom and Weslee in the snow

Walking in the snow

Weslee loved the snow

Contemplating his snowman while tasting some of the white stuff

Belated Christmas Pictures

2010-02-14T16:27:00.001-08:00

Opening a present from Grandma and Grandpa Cook

Ken opening my gift to him, an ESV Reformation Study Bible

Weslee and Cousin Sela with Grandma Jessup, Christmas Eve Mexican dinner

Weslee, cousin Quinn and Cousin Sela, Christmas Day

Weslee, Christmas Day

The Temptation of Anonymity

2010-01-14T22:51:00.000-08:00

I am heartbroken tonight for a dear friend. The cause? Social networking. My uncle recently called Facebook "another place to sin" and I am fully seeing where he is coming from right now. I am amazed by the things I see people post. I have people of all types on my Facebook, and we somehow have managed to live and interact peacefully these five years. I see now that it's not always the case for others.

There seems to be something about the increased sense of anonymity the internet and social networking gives us that emboldens us with a sense of invincibility. We are suddenly more quick to say whatever is on our mind, with little thought to who may see it or who it may hurt. I am fully guilty of this. At one time I was very inappropriate with posts about my frustrations, and I hurt my husband- a sin I regret so much now and I wish I could take back every one of those hateful posts. I see it every day now- last week it was Christian women revealing information about their undergarments. This week it is a group of women I don't even know attacking one of my dearest friends and sister in Christ. I hope that those women don't know the damage they are doing to a woman they supposedly love as Christ loves. I pray they are not intentionally slandering another Christian, that they have fallen prey to the temptation to sin in a way they'd most likely never consider doing in real life.

Gossip is deadly, and it is often magnified by the "groupthink" that occurs in those comment sections on status updates. Women seem to be more prone to gossip. We are by nature more talkative and emotional than men, and spewing our emotions freely can often lead to sin. One of my constant prayers is that God would stop me from talking before I think, because I am quick to speak in anger and frustration. I say things I later regret, and I hurt people I love. I'd wager most women out there know what I'm talking about.

The Bible says the following about gossip:

"A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends." Proverbs 16:28 (ESV)

"The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body." Proverbs 18:8, 26:22 (ESV)

If Paul was concerned about the church in Corinth, should we not then be concerned about ourselves if these things are occurring?

"For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish--that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder." 2 Corinthians 12:20 (ESV)

We should NOT glorify sin among ourselves, though it may temporarily make us feel better. It fuels pride... sin begets sin. It is a dangerous downward spiral, and we should be examining ourselves daily so we may cry out to God for forgiveness for our offenses. We must think of others as well, for when we fall into the sin of gossip and pride, we cause others to fall with us. What I saw today was that type of downward spiral, where people kept joining in until it was a gossip convention. It grieved my heart so, and I do not even know the women! Sin grieves me, whether it be my own or that of another. I shudder to think that I may have been responsible for such a thing at some point. I began to pray for the women, and I began to ask the Lord to forgive me for the times I had acted in such a way, and if I had ever caused others to do so as well.

In our day it is so easy to fall into the world, to become a part of it instead of just a temporary inhabitant. We feel hurt, angry or wronged, and instead of going to the Lord in prayer, we turn our computers on and go to the world, to our safe, fake, anonymous world of social networking, and let our wrath pour out.

Spurgeon said this about sin:

"And beware, I pray you, of any secret sin, of any evil habits such as you would only
tolerate when screened from observation; for, as sure as you live, if you are a child of
God, it will come out one of these days, to your shame."

We freely judge the hearts of others, and not their actions, and we justify our sins by claiming we are in the right. I find that God uses things like I saw today to take me back down a notch. I worry constantly whether I sin in my actions- whether I gossip, I am prideful, I am a liar, idolater, etc. I pray continual prayers of repentance, ashamed to betray my God, He who is Holy, who created me and saved me though I was not worthy.

We are to help our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ in their walks, to keep one another accountable in our actions, but the Bible says this about judging a person's heart:

"Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God." 1 Corinthians 4:5 (ESV)

I pray that myself and others would not judge the hearts of our brothers and sisters, but when we have been wronged instead go to the offender in love and with scripture plead our case. Biblical reproof will always be proven true with the Word, and God will use it to either soften a heart or condemn it. We must remember- it is up to the Lord, not us, whether somebody recognizes the truth.

It is sad to me that what I have seen today may mean that friendships might never be reconciled because of thoughtless actions and brash words. I hope that the words spoken bring shame upon those who wrote them, and that they may realize that gossip is never loving, but sinful. How does it look when we praise a fellow Christ-follower in one breath, and in the next condemn them to hell? This should send us all into some serious self-examination, to find if we are truly following Christ, or if we are following our own wants and desires. Jesus would not condone gossip, so I am left with the conclusion that when we gossip we are following our sinful nature, and not our new nature which Christ paid such a price to give us.

Let us glorify Him in all our thoughts, words, and actions. May we be humble enough to repent when we have sinned, and ask forgiveness of those we have sinned against- even if we are ashamed and even if we are not sure they know about our offense against them. Many a time I have had to go to my husband and repent of my thought-life, and it is never easy. I pray God may convict us until we are driven to repentance and fall to our knees, tearful and contrite in spirit.

May our pride never get the best of us, and may we always seek to glorify God in all we do, whether we are in public or in the privacy of our own home and the anonymity of the internet. I pray we would all resist the temptation that anonymity produces, and choose what is right.

"Again, methinks you have great cause for questioning, unless your holiness is uniform; I mean, if your life is angelic abroad and devilish at home. You must suspect that it is at home that you are really what you are." Charles H. Spurgeon

Family Portrait 2009

2009-12-20T21:18:00.001-08:00

We had a Cook Family photo session today, and it was pretty fun. Weslee wasn't sure about it at first, but we found a little hat that fit him there, and he just loved it. He did really well for his individual pictures! Here are the pictures of our family:

Where's the Baby?

2009-12-20T21:12:00.001-08:00

The other day Ken and I were in the living room when I realized I hadn't heard Weslee playing for a little while... I listened carefully and suggested Ken might want to check out the bathroom, because I heard the distinct sound of a toilet paper roller being turned. Ken went in, and this is what he found...

Dad! Let me show you what I can do...

TOILET PAPER!!!!!!!!!!

Aren't I just the cutest :)

Luckily, he only got the end of a toilet paper roll, so it wasn't such a big loss. First yarn, now toilet paper. The kid likes to unravel things! We usually have the bathroom door closed to prevent things just such as this. I'm a little more vigilant now, checking and double checking that the door has actually clicked closed when I pull it.

More December Pictures

2009-12-20T21:00:00.000-08:00

Opening his first present (actually Mom's present) and playing with the paper

Mmmm, block!

Pat, pat, pat!

Dancing at the church Christmas program while Grandpa avoids flailing arms

Playing with a hat and bucket Aunt Melissa gave him to pass the time at the portrait studio

December Pictures

2009-12-20T20:48:00.000-08:00

Getting into mischief with Dad

Babies and cats have the same reaction when they find yarn

Looking at his book

He loves sitting next to people on the couch

Excited about the camera

Baby Blanket

2009-12-12T20:33:00.000-08:00

I felt like crocheting yesterday, and when I got my yarn down I found a partially finished baby blanket I had started for Weslee last year. He's too big for it now, so I went ahead and made it into a girly blanket by adding some crocheted flowers. It's a very light mint green, with white trim and green & white flowers on it. It'll work perfectly for a smaller baby.

Baked Oatmeal

2009-12-10T09:13:00.001-08:00

My dear friend Crystal over at Serving God and Family has been making this baked oatmeal for a while, and I've been drooling every time she talked about it. She finally posted the link to the recipe, and I was all too happy to try it. I'd never had baked oatmeal before, but it's really quite something. It's not mushy oatmeal, but crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. I think it's meant to be served with milk, more like a cereal. You can find the recipe here at All Recipes.

I modified the recipe a bit because I wanted to make honey almond baked oatmeal. I didn't have any eggs, so I used about 1/4 Cup homemade applesauce mixed with about 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil. I substituted about 1/8 Cup honey for some of the brown sugar (though I would increase it for more of a honey flavor next time). In addition to the cinnamon, I also added ginger, nutmeg and a pinch of cloves (I put these four spices in any sweet thing I can). To give it a nice crunch I added about 1/3 Cup chopped almonds (I think I would also increase this next time). I omitted the dried cranberries as well.

Becoming... who?

2009-12-09T22:48:00.000-08:00

I have awesome parents. They are kind, giving, loving. I don't ever remember being in want of anything in life growing up. My family is unique... we all live in the same area, and we like hanging out together. We have family dinners pretty regularly, and some of us go to church together. My parents have taught me so much in life.

However... yes, here comes the "but"... somewhere along the line I missed the lessons on how to be a proper wife and mother. I gave into the worldly thinking that I needed to break free from my family to "find myself" and "experience life". I spent much of my later years at home trying to force my opinions on others and create my own rules at the expense of others'. I missed out on what were probably the most valuable lessons of all.

My dad is an original. I've never met another man like him, and I don't expect I ever will. He does more than anybody I know. When I was little, it was he who cooked and cleaned the house, and that was after working a day at a high school. My mom worked later hours, being a teacher at an elementary school. I grew up with an (unrealistic) expectation of men that I didn't even know I had until after I was married and realized my husband had never cleaned a bathroom in his life.

I can't remember anybody ever telling me that men didn't know how to keep house... I certainly don't remember being taught that I would be the one who needed to do it. I had those feminist ideals of equality, and even superiority to men. Media and friends supported the idea that men were oafs who needed to be changed and molded to be better people, and to care for their wife as she pleased.

I didn't even want children when I got married. I figured if I had to have them, I would adopt, since my parents adopted me. I prepared to prevent, instead of preparing for the possibility that God would choose to bless us with children. Another mistake on my part.

I feel like the past several years of my life have been those of self-discovery in the real world. Trying to get an education, make friends, and break free of my family wasn't reality. Working to maintain a marriage, raise a child, and keep a home- that's the real world. Sometimes I can't fathom why it's so difficult. Nobody took the time to talk to me about what marriage is like. Passing comments about "marriage isn't easy" or "finances are the number one cause of marital strife" doesn't educate a young woman on how to have a successful marriage.

As a result, I've had my share of blunders, and outright failures. I've had heartache that could have been avoided had I been better prepared. I find that now I'm very honest with those who are preparing for marriage or who want to be married someday. I figure they need to know the whole truth about the not-so-pretty side of being a wife and mother. I don't want them to become disillusioned when they find that it's not all about them, and it's not always happy.

That all being said, I believe that we have a serious lack of women in the Church who are willing to fulfill their biblical role to mentor the younger women as instructed in Titus 2:

"Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled."
-- Titus 2:3-5

We have fallen prey to the worldly belief that we don't need to help others. I think it's a disgrace that a young Christian woman cannot find a mentor in her church- I have heard that story from too many women my age. Mentors don't have to be perfect, they just need to love God's Word and desire to follow Him. God will use them to His glory.

If we have so many women who don't see themselves fit to fulfill their biblical roles, then we have a greater problem than selfishness. We have a failure of the church in the area of discipleship. The Great Commission has more than one part to it:

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."
-- Matthew 28:19-20

What good have we done for the Lord if we haven't completed the Great Commission He gave us? Have we really even carried out His instructions if we fail to teach those who believe, and in effect have therefore failed to make disciples?

I'm not perfect- and I'll be the first to admit it. I fail, and I repent, and I know I'm going to fail again. Growing in holiness is a lifetime process, and it will not end until this life has ended and this sinful world has passed away. I do believe that we have a responsibility as Christ followers to invest in the lives of other Christians- to care about them, to desire that they know the Lord more thoroughly. We should all want that of ourselves and those we know. Why just care about the unsaved?

So please, if you are an older Christian woman, love your daughters and sisters- teach them as the Lord has commanded, and help them in their walk to becoming the women God has called them to be. Younger Christian women, don't follow in my first footsteps- be respectful of your elders, listen to the wisdom they have to give, and follow the instructions God has left you.

There is no higher calling than that of the feminine role God has laid out before you. Revel in the love of the Creator who made woman unique and separate from man, who created us as a helpmeet, a completion. We, in our submission paired with the authority of our husbands, show the relationship between Christ and the church. Let us not bring blasphemy upon His holy name, but instead strive to glorify Him in all of our ways.

"...let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening."
-- 1 Peter 3:4-6

Pan Grilled Chicken with Apple-Onion Sautee

2009-12-09T19:00:00.000-08:00

Tonight's recipe is the result of a last minute meal fix. Ken tried a "roasted chicken breast with marmalade recipe" and needless to say, the recipe was a disaster. After nearly losing lunch from tasting some of it, to the smoke alarms going off, I feel pretty accomplished for pulling a success out of the hat tonight.

2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/5 Onion, diced small
2 Apples, diced
1/2-1C Apple juice

Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder to taste. Cook in a lightly oiled skilled until golden on both sides and cooked through. In a bigger pot, cook onions in a little olive oil until translucent, add a little salt, pepper, and garlic (I used powder, but would entertain the real thing next time). Add chopped apples and sautee for a few minutes, then add apple juice. Increase heat to high and let the liquid reduce by half. Add chicken breasts on top and reduce heat to medium/medium high. I started stirring the apples around the chicken so the chicken would absorb a good amount of the flavor. Cook down until the liquid is gone, apples are soft and starting to caramelize.
We served ours with herb & butter boxed rice, and it was fantastic. I'll definitely be making it again, intentionally next time. :)

Ken's Pancakes

2009-12-08T18:51:00.000-08:00

Ken makes the most interesting pancakes I've ever had. He doesn't put any leavening agent in them like other pancakes, so they are thinner (like a crepe) and more dense than your average pancake. My favorite thing is that they are slightly sweet and buttery- I like to eat them plain, as well as with toppings.

11.5oz Flour (A little more than 2C)
2.5oz Granulated Sugar (Between 1/3C and 2/3C
2C Milk
2 Large Eggs

Sift flour, add sugar. Add wet ingredients and stir until well incorporated. Batter will be slightly lumpy. Preheat skillet on medium heat (level 5 on our stove). Melt a little butter to cover the pan. Add 2/3C batter for large pancakes and 1/3C for smaller pancakes. Before flipping, add a little butter around the edges of the pancake. You'll know it's ready to turn when the edges turn slightly tan. It takes about a minute for the first side and less than a minute for the second. Pancakes should be slightly golden- pay attention, they burn quickly.
Serve warm plain or with desired toppings- we add butter and syrup or butter with cinnamon and sugar. They also work well with fillings. Enjoy!

Bagel Chips and Dip

2009-12-07T14:12:00.000-08:00

Ken and I decided to try making bagel chips last night with some leftover onion bagels we had. These chips are great for snacking on or taking to parties. After they're baked, they keep really well in a resealable plastic bag. To make them:

Bagel of your choice (we used onion, and found that one bagel, sliced, fit on one sheet pan)
Butter

Slice bagel in 1/4" rounds, butter and place on sheet pan. Bake at 325F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from sheet pan. Makes 20-24 chips, depending on the size of your bagel.

Dip:
Sour Cream
1-2tsp Garlic Powder
1-2tsp Dill

Stir a few tablespoons of sour cream in a small dish with garlic and dill. You can add the spices to taste, this amount makes enough for one or two bagel's worth of chips.

My Mornings

2009-12-07T10:03:00.000-08:00

I don't know if I'd say that I'm a morning person, but I have certainly been forced to become one if I wasn't already. Weslee is a great sleeper; he sleeps right around 12 hours a night. The funny thing is that he usually goes to sleep around 5pm... which means he's awake before 6am. That means mom is up before 6am each morning, even if she was able to sleep in.
I have to say the mornings redeem themselves when I get to hang out with my little guy. Today Weslee and I got up at 6am and let Ken sleep in. We played a little, then Weslee played while I cleaned the kitchen and made muffins, we snuggled and Weslee fell asleep, and now we are sitting together on the couch. He is carrying on some sort of enlightening conversation with me, which is very cute.
Just us, the Pandora Christmas playlist, and some gusty arctic wind. Have I mentioned lately how much I love this little bundle of joy he Lord has blessed us with?

Cook or Be Cooked

2009-12-06T21:22:00.000-08:00

After prolonged prompting from Ken, I've started a food blog called Cook or Be Cooked. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Baked Acorn Squash

2009-12-06T11:54:00.000-08:00

Ken picked up a couple of acorn squash from the store the other day, and I needed to do something with them before they went bad. I decided to bake them with butter and brown sugar, which I always find delicious. Here is what I did:

2 Acorn Squash, halved and gutted
Score the flesh with a paring knife (this allows the buttery goodness to soak in and makes it easier to remove after it's cooked)
Spread 1-2 Tbsp room temperature butter on each half (the back of a spoon works well for this)
Pack 2-3 Tbsp brown sugar on each half over the butter
Place halves in a 9x13 baking dish and bake at 350F for 45min to 1 hour. Squash is done when the flesh is soft when a fork is inserted. To serve, I put a squash half in a bowl, run a knife around the outside to separate the flesh a little, and put a bit more brown sugar in the melted butter to make a nice sauce. Leftovers can be covered and refrigerated, then reheated in the microwave or oven.

Chicken & Rice Soup

2009-12-06T11:40:00.000-08:00

Winter is the perfect time for soup! I've been having fun making up soup recipes, and this chicken & rice soup is my version of something that was served at our church's Community Kitchen. I must say, I think my version tastes a bit better. I had a lot of time to let it sit, though. I ended up with a ton of soup, so I took some to my sister, who seems to be fighting some kind of cold like Weslee and I are. I don't usually measure my recipes, but here is a rough estimate of what went into the soup:

Boil 2 chicken breasts in a big pot(I tossed a little salt and pepper in the water, and probably had 8-10 Cups water)
Cook 2 Cups Rice (I have a rice cooker, so I did the chicken and rice at the same time)
1/5 Onion, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 Whole Carrots, diced
Spices to taste
6-8 Bouillon cubes (I put in a few less than the amount for the water I had)

Remove chicken from water, set on cutting board to rest. Strain water from pot into another container. In pot, add a couple teaspoons olive oil, saute onions, garlic and carrots. Add seasonings. Slowly add a few cups of water, adding each when the previous water returns to a boil. Add bouillon cubes as water boils. When you've added about 6 cups of water, start adding spoonfuls of rice. When rice has been added, chop chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to pot. You may need to add more water, depending on how much the rice has absorbed. The starch from the rice will thicken the soup. Let soup simmer for 1/2-1 hour to let flavors meld.

Like I said, the recipe is not exact, but just a rough estimate of what I did. Experiment with it to figure out what you like best. I served it with some garlic bread, but that's not a requirement. It's really a stand-alone meal, as well. It's a great alternative to chicken noodle soup, and was very soothing to my cold.

Weslee walking across the living room

2009-12-02T18:01:00.000-08:00

Love, the Gospel, and Service

2009-11-30T20:18:00.001-08:00

What is love? 1 Corinthians 13 describes love as follows:

"Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."
-- 1 Corinthians 14:4-8 (NASB)

We often overlook the beginning of the chapter which says:

"If I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing."
-- 1 Corinthians 14:1-3 (NASB)

The passage seems to be discussing our actions, and clearly indicates that they must be acts of love, since love is also an action. Without love, nothing we do matters, and it is not pleasing to God.

That said, we are incapable of love. Love by God’s standard is impossible for us to accomplish on our own. The unbeliever cannot love in accordance to God’s standard. The only reason the believer is capable of love is through Christ’s imputed righteousness- the perfection that God sees in us not because of our own doing, but due to the blood Jesus shed on the cross to atone for our sins, our depravity, and our inadequacy.

I wonder often when we serve others who we are really doing it for. Just because we say we are Christians does not mean we do everything to God’s glory. There are things we do that do not please Him, things that He hates. When we serve out of a selfish nature, the things we do- though good by human standards- are worthless to the Lord. His standard is so much higher than ours.

I think sometimes we get so caught up in “doing” that we forget why we do it. We don’t clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless to make sure they are dressed, full, and living in a warm house. Have I lost you?

We do acts of service because it enables us to spread the Gospel, to share Christ with others, to fulfill the commands Jesus gave us. What good does it do us to install a smoke alarm when the building is already on fire? Similarly, what good do our works do unless we also share the Gospel with those who we are serving?

Our desire should be that all would be saved, not that people would be “comfortable” in life. After all, what good is it to make the world a better place to go to hell from? The Christian walk is difficult, and God often uses hardships to draw us close to Him. There is a reason that it is nearly impossible for a rich man to be saved. When we are down, without hope- that is when we have only the Lord to turn to.

So when we serve, let’s focus on first getting the person out of the burning building, then work on helping them build a new house through discipleship and further acts of service. People will not always know we are serving because of Christ- we must make that clear by unashamedly sharing the Gospel message with them.

True love is caring enough about a person to want them to be saved from eternal hellfire and damnation. Jesus told us He came to seek and save the lost- to glorify the Father- his signs and miracles were an aid to that, not the main goal. Let us keep that in mind as we strive to serve others- to the glory of God, not man.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you..."
-- Matthew 23:19-20 (NASB)

“We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father…”
--1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 (NASB)