New Year's Greetings 2010

Dear friends,

Paul and I want to take this opportunity to wish each of you a Happy New Year filled with the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ! The last year was one of many changes for us, and I invite you to go on a quick pictorial journey with us as we recap our last year and look ahead to the new year unfolding before us.  With all of the adjustments and changes of the last few months, I haven't written nearly as often as I would have liked, but Lord willing, I will be adding to this blog much more frequently in 2010!

Josiah (9), Micah (6), Sarah (6), Isaac (4)

The year 2009 began with Paul at home for his two week R&R from Iraq. We had a wonderful time as a family, and we dreaded the good-bye that came all too quickly.

At the airport when Paul arrived for his leave

On January 8, Paul again journeyed back to Baghdad for another five months, and the children and I resumed our daily activities. To say that God was active in our family is an incredible understatement. There were many days that I got to the end of the day, positive that the only thing that had sustained us was the limitless grace of God.  I can definitely look back and say that I tasted the sweetness of Christ like I never had before, and I came away from the year of deployment having learned much about God as an ever-present help and refuge.

In March my mother-in-law came for two weeks, and then my sister came with her two girls for two weeks.  My mother-in-law even found time to paint murals on the basement walls!  Both Heather and Betty were a great help, and their company was a great gift.  Again, the Lord met my needs when I was very weary!

As April arrived, I have to admit that I've never been more excited to see spring come in all my life!  The children and I began preparing for Paul to come home at the end of May, and on May 29 we left for Fort Benning, Georgia to meet Paul as he arrived home on the 31st.  What a joy to be reunited as a family, and what a gift from God!

From Georgia we began a very long, very exciting road trip-- 8,134 miles to be exact!  We drove from Georgia to Florida and spent ten days on vacation.  We went to Disney and Sea World and loved every minute of being together.  From Florida, we began a 4-day, cross-country drive to Seattle so that Paul could out-process out of the Army at Fort Lewis, Washington.  After a week in Seattle, we drove to Denver for a few days with my parents, and then drove back home to Michigan.  The kids are fabulous travelers, and we had a wonderful trip!  We were gone a full month, and Paul was very glad when we finally drove back into his beloved Michigan!  He was finally home for good!  I posted numerous pictures of our long road trip earlier, so if you would like to see those, go here!

The rest of the summer was spent adjusting back to our life together, growing a garden, playing a ton of backyard whiffle-ball, and enjoying being together.  Paul and I celebrated our 10th anniversary at the end of July, and his mom came to stay with the kids while we went to St.Ignace/ Mackinac Island and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for five days!

The kids spent a lot of time foraging in the garden for sugar-snap peas and strawberries!

Paul and I at Mackinac Island

On August 1, Paul left active duty after more than eight years.  The Lord made it clear that our time in the Army was finished, and we are excited to begin a new chapter in our marriage and family!  Paul applied to transfer his law license from Colorado to Michigan, and in November, he opened his own law practice here in Rochester, Michigan!  The Lord seemed to lead in this direction, and we are looking forward to seeing what he has for us in the years ahead.

I am in my fifth year of homeschooling our children, and I find my days filled with school, our homeschool group, and tasks at home.  I am also directing the adult choir at our church.  The choir is one of the sweetest groups of people I have ever known, and they are truly passionate about leading our church family God-ward as we provide a musical picture frame around the face of Christ!  It is such a joy to be involved in this ministry.

Josiah is in the 4th grade now, and he loves books and animals.  He just received an aquarium for Christmas, so he is the proud owner of some new tropical fish.  He is a great student and is making wonderful progress in his education.  I see the Lord doing much in his life right now!

Micah and Sarah are both becoming great readers, and they are doing well in 1st grade.  Micah loves Legos and math, and Sarah loves dancing, singing, and writing.  Micah is daddy's boy when it comes to sports, and Sarah is my constant little companion in all things girly!

Isaac is our spoonful of sugar!  He loves Legos and Wii bowling, and he tries very hard to keep up with the big dogs (his brothers)!  He will start Kindergarten in the fall of this year, although he has already caught a lot just listening to me teach the others.

As I look back on 2009, I have learned three main lessons.  First, whether I can always see it or not, the Lord is active in the lives of each of His children.  Sometimes it is easy to imagine that He hasn't done much lately, but when I was forced to look to Him more than I ever had, I found Him in even the tiniest details.  Even when so many refuse to recognize His sovereignty, He is orchestrating every detail of life for His glory.

Second, I learned that I cannot calculate without God.  The instant I started to imagine what might happen, or "forward-fear", I would lose sight of all of the ways God had been so near to me in the past.  I had read many things about difficulties post-deployment, and while Paul and I had some adjustments to make, things really did get back to "normal" pretty quickly.  We found that two people seeking to glorify God can overcome many obstacles with His help.

Third, I learned how very blessed I am to have my precious husband and children, extended family, and dear friends to link arms with on this journey heavenward.  While Paul was deployed, he videotaped daily devotions for our children using a wonderful book called Training Hearts, Teaching Minds.  He would mail me the tapes, and we watched them almost every night.  I believe strongly that this made the deployment and subsequent adjustments so much easier for our children.  They heard their dad pray over them almost every night, even though he was half a world away, and they knew that God watched over all six of us.  Our family and friends came around us to "hold up our arms", and I can't praise the Lord enough for blessing us so abundantly.

The completed paper chain that grew around our kitchen while Paul was gone!

I don't know what this new year holds for our family, but I know that God is living and active and present.  With much thanksgiving, we bless Him for caring for us in 2009 and look forward with expectancy to what He will do in 2010.  We are thankful for each one reading this greeting, and we pray that the Lord will make His name great in all of our lives for His own glory.

Treasured Traditions

I was recently asked to speak on traditions for a women's gathering. The following post is from the handout for my session. I pray it will be an encouragement to those that are looking for ways to build up God-glorifying traditions in their homes!

Treasured Traditions

“A Magnificat Morning”

October 17, 2009

Deut. 4:9- “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children.”

Psalm 78: 4,6-7- “We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and His might, and the wonders that He has done…that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments.”

Proverbs 17:22 -“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

I. Thinking through thousands of years of tradition—Looking back helps us to look forward!

A. My own definition:

A tradition is something we hold on to that points us to THE SOMEONE that holds onto us.

Something we hold on to…

Traditions exist in all cultures from all time periods.

Traditions are part of the human experience, based often on changing seasons or family history.

…that points us toward the SOMEONE that holds onto us.

There is great Biblical precedent for traditions. In Deut 4, God commands the children of Israel to talk about and pass on the things that He has done. He set up feast and holy days as days of remembrance. See also Psalm 78:1-7, Deut. 6, Deut 11:1-3, 7, 18-19. We can use traditions to help shape our family’s spiritual life!

B. What are the differences between habits, memories, and traditions?

Habits are things we do every day like brushing our teeth. They are automatic, but not always deliberate.

Memories are being made constantly, no matter what the situation. The brain is a never-ending recording device that takes in every detail of every moment. Memories are the backbone of traditions.

Traditions are deliberate, thoughtful ways to celebrate a family, culture, or belief.

For the Christian, traditions are more than making or preserving memories. They are about establishing earthly pictures that constantly direct our attention to God- His attributes, His Word, His truth, His sovereignty.

So if traditions point us to God, how can we fill our moments and memories to the glory of God? When do we do this? How do we start? Traditions are not just for our children. They point adults, grandparents, and singles to God too!

II. Sorting through thousands of possibilities for traditions in the future-- Isn’t “new tradition” an oxymoron?

A. The “When” of traditions?

1. Holidays- The word “holiday” comes from two words: “Holy Day”

2. Special days- Birthdays, Anniversaries, Family reunions, Weddings, Funerals, Vacations

3. Every days- Things we do daily in the life of our family.

B. The “Who” of traditions?

1. Immediate family

2. Extended family

3. Church family (worship service traditions, seasons in the life of a church throughout the year)

C. The “How” of traditions? Where do I start?

1. Be deliberate- Unless we plan ahead, something might never happen!

2. Be thoughtful- Start small with one or two things.

3. Focus on the treasure of Christ first and then the people in your life. Material things are largely unimportant in building up godly traditions.

D. The “What” of traditions- Some questions to get us thinking!

1. What is most important to me? My husband? Our family?

2. What truths of Scripture would I love to focus on in my traditions? (A favorite verse, a favorite hymn, a favorite spiritual memory or goal?)

For example:

a. We have a vase of stones and a journal on our entryway table. When God does something in our lives or provides for us in a special way, we put a stone in the jar and write the event in the journal. This comes from Joshua 4:21, 22a, 24b-

And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know…that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

b. My sister has small, square canvases on her living room wall. When someone comes over, they have the person sign their name and write a favorite verse. If someone comes that doesn’t know Christ, they have the individual write something they are thankful for! Their artwork is also a visible guest book and reminder of the things God has done!

3. What do I want my family to remember in 10 or 20 years? How can I pass on what I treasure to my family and others that I know?

4. What are the interests of my family?

5. What is one way I can plan for the upcoming holiday season?

III. Some of my favorite ideas to get you started!

A. Holiday ideas

1. Patriotic Holidays- (Even though patriotic holidays are not necessarily religious, they are great times for teaching a family about God’s gifts to our country and our civic responsibilities.)

a. Attend parades.

b. Send letters to soldiers

c. Make visits to the capital.

d. Read the Declaration of Independence together.

2. Easter- This is one of the most important Holy Days for the Christian. Our entire faith hinges on the Resurrection of Christ and His atoning work on the cross.

a. Celebrate Lent by giving up something in order to reserve extra time for Christ.

b. Start with seven lighted candles and gradually extinguish them in the weeks before Easter to show the darkness of sin. On Easter morning, all seven are lit again, signifying the risen Christ as the true light of the world.

c. Study various names of Christ.

d. Attend various Easter services (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, etc.).

e. Think through special meals or treats. See the link for a recipe for Easter cookies at the end of this handout!

3. Thanksgiving- This is the only holiday we celebrate that has an exclusively religious origin. It is a wonderful time for reflecting on God’s blessings.

a. Fill a “blessing box” with blessings and answers to prayer all year long. Then take them out and read them before your Thanksgiving meal.

b. In my family, there was usually an extra place setting at the table that remained empty in honor of those that were not able to be with us that year.

c. We also all wrote messages on a Chinet plate for each person that wasn’t there, and then my grandma mailed them. I’ll never forget getting those plates when I was at college and couldn’t go home for Thanksgiving!

d. There are some wonderful hymns for this time of year-- “We Gather Together”, “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come”, “Now Thank We All Our God”.

4. Christmas- When we think of traditions, most people tend to think of Christmas first. What a glorious time of celebration as we remember the birth of the Savior! It is hard not to get caught up in the materialism and rush of the season, but if we are deliberate, we can institute some wonderful ways to reflect on Christ.

a. The beauty of many of the decorations can even point us to the beauty of Christ. In our family, we buy one special ornament for each child every year that helps tell the story of their life. They will take these with them when they get married. All of the decorations glow and shine, reminding us that Christ is indeed the light of the world.

b. Begin to research the origins of the different symbols of Christmas (i.e. Christmas tree, star, candles, holly, candy canes).

c. Some traditions can just be for the mutual joy and fun in a family, building togetherness and unity! We always buy new Christmas pajamas every year. They are the only present opened on Christmas Eve!

d. Plan special meals throughout the season. We have pizza on Christmas tree decorating night. We always have lasagna either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day (it can be made ahead of time, thereby limiting the amount of time I spend in the kitchen on the holiday!)

e. Choose a new family to have over for a cookie night and get to know their story!

f. Celebrate Advent by lighting one candle on each of the four Sundays before Christmas and reading prophecies about the birth of Messiah. A fifth candle in the middle of the Advent wreath is the “Jesus candle” and is lit on Christmas morning.

g. Memorize and quote Luke 2: 1-18 together.

h. Create a Jesus tree with ornaments symbolizing names and attributes of Christ. I have also heard this called a “Jesse Tree”. See the link for Jesse tree ideas at the end of this handout!

i. Begin collecting nativities from around the world as a reminder that one day those from every kindred nation, tribe, and tongue will bow and say, “Worthy is the Lamb”.

j. Wonderful, God-glorifying music abounds at Christmas. Attend every concert and cantata you can possibly fit into the schedule!

k. Make a birthday cake for Jesus. The cake is chocolate to represent sin, covered with white frosting to represent Christ washing us white as snow. On the top of the cake place a star, an angel, a crown (He is the King of Kings), and a candy cane (shaped like a J for Jesus). Light a LARGE candle on the top of the cake while you sing a Christmas carol!

B. Special Day Ideas

1. Birthdays

a. Write letters instead of buying birthday cards. A handwritten note is like gold in this electronic age!

b. Make special meals, like birthday breakfasts or birthday dinners.

c. Begin a journal that you add to every year telling your child about how they are special and how they have grown that year.

d. If you like to scrapbook, make separate birthday books.

2. Anniversaries

a. Write a letter to your spouse sharing your memories and thoughts about the past year—what was special to you, what you learned, and how God worked in your lives during the year.

b. Watch your wedding video or look through your photos together.

c. Have a new picture taken of the two of you together.

3. Other Special days and Events- Things that happen once a year or even more infrequently such as weddings, funerals, family reunions, or family vacations are opportunities to cherish the gift of extended family. Be alert for ways to build traditions.

For example:

Family vacations or road trips-

a. Listen to books on CD together instead of everyone doing their own thing in the car. The Focus on the Family Radio Theater CD’s are fabulous.

b. I know a family that planned their family vacations for every year from the time their children were little to the year the last one graduates from high school. They save for these trips continually, and they picked the 10-15 places they most wanted to visit.

c. Our kids have fun bags that go along on every trip. Everywhere we go, we buy a patch, a key chain, or a pin to go on their bag.

C. Everyday Ideas- These are the things you do in your family that point you DAILY toward God and His sweet blessing of a family.

1. Periodically, we plan a surprise ride for a family fun time. We get everything planned and then run through the house screaming, “Surprise Ride! Surprise Ride!” Things we’ve done include going to get ice cream, going swimming at the YMCA, getting up early to go to McDonald’s for breakfast, or going to see a special movie.

2. Plan a family fun night each week and treasure that time.

3. Read books out loud to each other. I heartily recommend On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness and North! Or Be Eaten from “The Wingfeather Saga” written by Christian singer Andrew Peterson! For a list of other great books to read see the following website:

www.classical-homeschooling.org/celoop/1000.html

4. Play games or buy a large puzzle. Much deep and even spiritual conversation can take place while a family puts together a puzzle!

5. Family worship is one of the most important traditions a family can have. As soon as children can read, start them on the habit of reading Scripture aloud together.

6. Especially with children, a bedtime routine of prayers and special songs is a wonderful tradition!

7. Eat dinner every night in the dining room and regularly use the nice dishes. Why have them if they only come out once or twice a year?!

8. Even prayer before meals is an important tradition!

9. We have a magnetic clipboard with notebook paper that hangs on our refrigerator. We call it the “cute list”, and we write down all of the funny things the kids do and say. Josiah just turned nine, and he has 26 full pages. When we need a good laugh, we just start reading through the cute list! It also helps to remind us of our family’s history—where we have been and how God has brought us to where we are now.

Some of my favorite resources:

1. Treasuring God in Our Traditions by Noel Piper

2. Let’s Make a Memory by Shirley Dobson

3. Before and After Christmas- Activities and Ideas-Advent or Epiphany by Debbie Trafton O’Neal (daily activities to direct children’s thoughts during the Christmas season)

4. The Ballad of Matthew’s Begats by Andrew Peterson

5. Kids Love Michigan by George and Michelle Zavatsky (full of fun, family-friendly places to visit in our beautiful state)

6. For ideas for a “Jesus tree” or “Jesse tree”: http://www.crivoice.org/jesse.html

7. For a great Easter cookie recipe see the following website or do an internet search for hollow Easter cookies. http://www.allhomemadecookies.com/recipes/drop/easterstorycookies.htm

(Please link to this post instead of copying and pasting if you desire to use any of this material in print in any form!)

Josiah's 9th Birthday!

Josiah turned nine this week-- on 9/9/09. He absolutely loves the old Star Wars movies, so he asked for a Star Wars cake. Here is a picture of him with the Millennium Falcon. As I was piecing it together to frost and decorate it, Isaac (who is four) looked at it and said, "It's the Mill... It's the Mill... It's Han Solo's ship!" I was really thrilled that it was immediately recognizable, even before it was decorated!

We had a great day complete with Josiah's favorite dinner-- grilled steak with baked potatoes (both white and sweet potatoes)! I can't believe he's nine!

Chocolate Kisses

I have been praying all summer about this little blog of mine now that Paul has returned from Iraq. I know it isn't very significant as blogs go, but the Lord has used it in my own life as a written expression of the ways He is at work in our family. As I pray, I keep coming back to the idea of "Chocolate Kisses"-- small bits of sweetness from the Lover of my soul. Chocolate kisses seem to fit with the theme of "Chocolate Syrup and Cookie Dough", and I desperately long to see and savor the sweetness of Christ-- on good days and bad.

I will still share pictures of our family, but I also believe the Lord would have me share simple stories and small sweetnesses that He brings into my life as He continues the good work that He began in me (Phil. 1:6). It will be a written record of the ways He is molding and teaching me, and I pray that it might encourage a few people along the way. We are still adjusting to our lives here, and my posts might be few for awhile, but I will be able to start writing more once we get settled back into our lives together.

Chocolate kisses are small, and my entries will be short, but I pray they will be filled with the overflowing goodness of Christ. By God's grace and for His glory, I will taste and see that the Lord is very, very good.

The 8,134 Mile Road Trip

On Friday, May 29, we started our four-week-long "road trip of a lifetime"! The children and I drove first to Fort Benning to pick up our dear Daddy who was just returning from Iraq. We picked him up on Sunday, May 31, and we all headed to Orlando for a ten-day vacation. We then drove from Orlando to Seattle with overnights in Illinois, South Dakota, and Montana.

While we were in the Seattle region, Paul reported to Fort Lewis, Washington, where he completed his paperwork to get out of the Army. (He is still in the Reserves.) We were in Seattle for a week, and then we drove to Denver to see my parents. After a few days in Denver, we headed for home and arrived exactly four weeks to the day from when we left.

All in all, we were in 18 different states and drove a total of 8, 134 miles!! The trip was an amazing experience, and we relished the opportunity to be together again. The Lord blessed us with safe travel and great family time. What a gift!

I hope you will enjoy this little photo album!

The first kisses from Daddy at Freedom Hall, Fort Benning, GA!

Daddy with all of his happy kids!

Daddy with a very happy (although teary-eyed) mommy!

Isaac wrapped up in his travel pillow on the way to Florida.

The boys with Buzz Lightyear at Magic Kingdom.

Our princess with a princess!

You can't see it in the background, but Micah's smile comes from his love of the ride "Splash Mountain", which he has now ridden 14 times!

Micah by one of the beautiful aquariums at Sea World. You can see a manta ray behind him in the tank.

Our kids up inside the viewing tube in one of the aquariums at Sea World!

Paul's parents came and spent several days with us in Florida. We had a great time with them, and they were glad to see Paul back safe and sound!

Josiah playing in the splash area at Sea World on a hot, hot day!

We spent two days at Disney's Animal Kingdom and three days at Disney's Magic Kingdom! Our entire family enjoyed it immensely!

Sarah with Grandpa in line at Animal Kingdom.

Isaac squeezin' the stuffin' out of Grandma!

Grandpa bought our whole family matching shirts before leaving Disney! It was fun to wear them together on our last day at the park!

As we drove across the country, we got to see several fun places and sights. Here is the first stop-- the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.

At the bottom of the Arch...

...and at the top of the Arch!

We rode on the little tram that is part elevator, part ferris wheel to get to the top. Here is Micah looking out over St. Louis. You can see the Cardinals' stadium in the background of the picture!

On our way through South Dakota, we stopped at Wall Drug for lunch. They had all kinds of activities for kids, so here we are searching for precious stones and gems in the mining area. The kids got to go into some little mines with head lamps on helmets and search in the dark for treasure. Here they are with sluice boxes, separating the dirt from the stones.

You can't drive through the Black Hills without stopping at Mount Rushmore!

I took this picture of the Garmin when we were finally almost to Seattle. It shows only 25 miles to our destination, but it also shows more than 4,000 miles driven and 60 hours of driving time since the kids and I left home on May 29. As for the max speed of 94.2 mph, all I can say is that we had driven through Montana that day. Anyone who has driven through Montana knows that it is easy to go that fast without even realizing it! We realized it rather quickly, but the Garmin still caught it, and now it is preserved for all posterity!

Daddy and Josiah playing chess at the Children's Museum in Seattle.

Beautiful Mount Rainier as seen from Fort Lewis. In the week we were there, it was only clear enough to see it on the one day I took this picture.

We went to the lovely home of Paul's aunt and uncle, Greg and Cheryl White, for dinner while we were in Seattle. Here are pictures of the kids canoeing with Paul's cousin, Sara.

At the top of the Seattle Space Needle with the beautiful city in the background.

We took in a Seattle Mariners game at Safeco Field while we were there. It was absolutely frigid considering it was the middle of June! Paul is hoping to watch a game at every ball park in America before the boys leave home! Mark off Safeco Field!

A few pictures of our happy travelers. They did so well on such a long trip!

Isaac playing dress-up at Oma and Opa's house in Denver. The kids really enjoyed being out of the car for a few days!

The Denver Museum of Science and Nature.

Putt-putt golfing with Oma and Opa! What a fun time! We also got to visit a candy factory in Denver and eat at The Old Spaghetti Factory! I miss Denver and its blue sky! You can take the girl out of Colorado, but you can't take Colorado out of the girl!

On our final stretch, we were able to meet up with my brother and sister-in law, Erich and Jen, in Omaha. Here are the kids with their sweet cousin Jack!

Isaac and Jack saying good-bye!

After Omaha, we drove home and began settling into our life as a family again! By God's grace we had a wonderful trip, and by God's grace, we travel on from here!

The Finish Line

Here is the end of our paper chain.  We leave tomorrow to go pick Paul up in Georgia!

An empty skittles jar that once held more than 6,000 skittles.

We are exceedingly thankful to God for carrying us every step of the way on this journey.  A picture is worth 6,000 words of thanksgiving to a very Present Help.

It's Been Awhile...

It's been awhile since I posted anything on my blog-- a month to be exact.  I have been so swamped trying to finish school and get ready for Paul to come home that I haven't had time for much else.  Isaac had a birthday (cake pictures coming soon!), and we have had a full schedule with church and homeschool activities.  Despite the busyness, the month of May still seems in many ways like it is crawling along.

Paul will be home a week from Saturday!  What a blessing!  Then we have our vacation and begin a new life together.  We even have a week-long anniversary trip coming up this summer!  (Paul's sweet mom is coming to stay with the kids!)   Strangely enough, we both keep calling it our "honeymoon".  It almost feels like I'm getting married next week!

I wish I could describe all of the emotions that swirl in my head, heart, and stomach right now.  I am excited and nervous all at the same time, and sometimes it all seems so paradoxical.  How can I be so excited and yet so nervous all at the same time?  I've pondered it a lot, but I still can't wrap my mind around it!

The Lord has given me opportunities to share some of the things He's done for us this year, and I am so thrilled to look back and see how He's met us at every turn.  Psalm 46:1 says, "God is our refuge and strength; a very present help in trouble."  I just noticed today for the first time that my Bible (ESV) has a little footnote saying that the word "present" can also be translated "well-proved".  He has proven Himself to be very big this year, and I love the idea of God being a "well-proved" help in trouble.  Thinking of God being "well-proved" reminds me of the following words from the hymn "'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus":

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him,

How I've proved Him o'er and o'er.

Jesus, Jesus, Precious Jesus,

O, for grace to trust Him more.

May the Lord continue to pour out His grace through all of the adjustments and changes that lie ahead.  He is a very "well-proved" help in times of trouble (or in times of nervousness and excitement!) 

First Blooms

Just yesterday

Spring smiled at me

With cheery yellow face.

The winsome daffodils

    emerged,

Green arms stretched out

To mark their place.

As if God spoke,

"It's here. That sign of hope 

You've waited long to see.

A little longer now, dear one.

My child, please trust in Me."

With dark of winter

     almost past,

The waiting almost done,

That ray of hope--

A balm to me, 

My face turned toward the Son.

Just yesterday

Spring smiled at me

With cheery yellow face.

And warmth, sheer joy, delight smiled back

From a thankful heart

Upheld by Grace.

Our Skittles Jar

When Paul was getting ready to deploy, I started looking for ideas to help the kids mark the passing of time.  One idea I came across spoke of letting each child have a Hershey's Kiss every day as a "kiss from Daddy".  We liked that idea, but because Josiah is allergic to milk, we came up with something a little bit different.  I thought I would share it here!

Sometimes we like to call hugs and kisses "sugar", so when Paul left, we made the decision to let the kids have "sugar" from Daddy every night before they go to bed!  They each get four Skittles per day. (One Skittle is like one potato chip-- it's impossible to eat just one!)

When Paul left, I bought a giant jar and filled it with Skittles.  I needed four skittles each for four children for 380 days, so that came out to about 6,000 Skittles!!

I think it has meant the most to Isaac.  He watches the jar like a hawk!  When Paul was home at Christmas, Isaac asked him if he was home for good.  Paul said, "When the Skittles jar is empty, Daddy will be home for good."  Isaac responded so sweetly, "If I look in the jar and see only one Skittle, I will eat it so you come home!"

Here are some pictures of our Skittles jar!

This is the jar when we started.  It was almost entirely full!

I took these pictures yesterday!  When the jar is empty, Daddy will be home!!!

Not too much longer now!  Just about seven and a half weeks!

10 years ago...

...my prayer was answered.  On March 27, 1999, I sat on a snowy mountainside at dawn in Buena Vista, Colorado, as Paul knelt down and asked me to be his bride.  Absolutely no regrets.

Dear God, I prayed, all unafraid

(as we're inclined to do)

I do not need a handsome man

but let him be like You;

I do not need one big and strong

nor yet so very tall,

nor need he be some genius,

or wealthy, Lord, at all;

but let his head be high, dear God,

and let his eye be clear,

his shoulders straight, whate'er his state,

whate'er his earthly sphere;

and let his face have character,

a ruggedness of soul,

and let his whole life show, dear God,

a singleness of goal;

then when he comes

(as he will come)

with quiet eyes aglow,

I'll understand that he's the man

I prayed for long ago.

                       --Ruth Bell Graham

"Forward-Fearing"

I spent some time talking with two friends yesterday, one of whom was another Army wife whose husband is deploying to Iraq very soon.  We started talking about how easy it is to imagine things that could happen in the future.  Once we begin imagining these things, then our thoughts become filled with fear and worry-- what I will call "forward-fearing".  One friend, Angela, brought up something that I had never really pondered before, but it has been on my mind ever since.

When we forward-fear, we are imagining what could happen and our reaction to it, but we imagine it completely based on our own ability to handle a situation.  One of my favorite passages is Hebrews 4:15-16-- "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.  Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."(NASV)  One giant problem with forward-fearing is that it occurs in the mind absent the grace and help that God would be giving us if we were really going through that situation.  God tells us in those verses that in Him we will find grace to help in the time of need, not in the time we imagine a "what-if".  We are to take no thought for tomorrow, so forward-fearing is a sin and a lack of faith in GOD's ability to handle whatever situation comes into our lives.

This has been a great truth to digest, because it is easy to let my mind run away, especially right now with my husband gone.  However, I am commanded to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.  Three truths stop my "forward-fearing".  First, nothing happens outside of God's control of even the tiniest details.  Second,  He will never leave me or forsake me.  And third, whatever comes, I can draw near with confidence to find mercy and grace in any situation or need.  I won't go through anything without the grace of God sustaining me.

What a great blessing to ponder today! 

Eleven weeks from today...

...we will drive to Fort Benning to meet up with the love of my earthly life!  Only 77 days left on this journey!!!!  God has been so faithful, and I've tasted His sweetness like never before!

The adventure won't end in 77 days, however!  A whole new life awaits us.  The Lord has shown us clearly that our time in the Army is drawing to a close, so when Paul returns to America, he will be getting out and looking for a job in the civilian world! 

The plan as it stands right now is for the kids and I to drive to Georgia to pick him up on May 30th or 31st.  We will immediately drive to Orlando for a family vacation, including time at Disney.  Some people in our church own a condo down there that we are renting for ten days!  I absolutely cannot wait!

Paul is technically stationed out of Fort Lewis in Seattle, so after our vacation, he has to get to Fort Lewis to out-process out of the Army.  When faced with another separation, we made a big decision.  We will all drive together from Orlando to Seattle so that we can stay together.  It should be the road trip of a lifetime!  Paul bought me a Garmin for all of my traveling (a very gracious thing for my navigationally-intelligent husband to do for his poor, easily-flustered wife),  and the other day he was joking that when we input the address for Seattle as we leave Orlando, the Garmin will just flash a message that says, "Are you people crazy?!"  My only sadness with this plan is that Paul isn't here to see the looks on people's faces when I mention that we are driving from Orlando to Seattle with four kids!  It is priceless! (The kids ARE good little travelers!) 

So that is the plan.  Once we finish up in Seattle, we will make the long drive home and start our new life together.  To say I am looking foward to it is the understatement of the century! Oh, to be a family again!

Here are some recent pictures of the kids:  

Josiah was trying to show his muscles!

Sarah decided to cook one day while listening to some tunes.  

She had my ipod shuffle hooked to the top of her tights under her dress!

Micah is the lego king in this family!

Isaac routinely sticks his sword cover in his pants

 to help with the quick draw!

God continues to meet our needs and give rest when I feel too weary to continue.  Paul's mom came for about 10 days, and it was a tremendous blessing to have her company and help.  She even painted murals of a castle and sailing ship on our basement playroom walls.  What a gift!

Day #279 with 98 days to go!

Just before I put my children to bed tonight, we put the 279th link on the paper chain that is growing around our kitchen.  Long ago it grew too long to get it all in one picture, but here are some recent pictures taken in the last couple of weeks!  

I completely underestimated what a blessing that paper chain would be to me.  It started as a way for the children to visually mark the time that daddy was gone, but it has become a powerful reminder of the way God has carried us through each day.  There have been many days that I have come to the end of the day with absolutely no idea how we made it-- except for the grace of God that He poured out on our family that day.  Now as I staple each link onto the chain, I am compelled to praise God for bringing us through yet another day without daddy here.

In My Utmost for His Highest,  Oswald Chambers says, "What makes God so dear to us is not so much His big blessings to us, but the tiny things, because they show His amazing intimacy with us- He knows every detail of each of our individual lives."  I have seen this vividly demonstrated countless times in the last 279 days, and I would have to say that if I've learned anything, I have learned much about depending on God to meet my needs instead of depending on my husband.  It has always been very easy for me to run to Paul for help instead of running to the Lord.

I have seen the Lord in so many little details this year, but I just had to share this quick story...

I have always wanted a quilted Vera Bradley bag, but I could never justify the cost.  They come in a myriad of colors and patterns, and they are quite expensive and boutiquish!  I never told a soul-- even Paul- about wanting a one.  It just seemed like a frivolous expense, and I am very content with the bags I have.  But still-- all those cute, happy, bright colors!

In May, before Paul deployed, we went to visit his grandma.  She is a fabulous seamstress, and she has helped me start learning to sew.  While we were there, she and I took a trip to a fabric store for some things she needed.  I saw this beautiful blue and yellow quilted fabric (I LOVE blue and yellow together!) and decided to sew my own summer bag.  Grandma talked me through the project, and I eagerly purchased the fabric planning to get started as soon as Paul left.

After Paul deployed, though, I had to come to grips with the fact that I was not going to have time to do much of anything recreational this year, much less sew a bag.  I was so sad not to make my cheery, quilted bag, and I often looked longingly at the material sitting in my bedroom closet.  I just had to keep telling myself, "Not this year.  Not this year," all the while swallowing my disappointment.  I would tell myself, "The Lord knows.  The Lord knows."

Every Christmas, we draw names for gift-giving on Paul's side of the family, and this year my sister-in-law, Darcie, had my name.  On Christmas morning, I opened her gift, only to be struck absolutely speechless.  When I finally could speak, I sat there looking in the box saying, "No way!  No way!"  She had given me a blue and yellow quilted Vera Bradley bag.  I had never told anyone about wanting one, and the only person that knew about the material in my closet was Paul's grandma.  The LORD knew it was there, though.  Here are pictures of the material I bought and the bag Darcie gave me.  I cry even as I write this because I am still so amazed.  It is like the Lord said, "I know what is in your heart, and I know what kind of year this has been.  Do you trust Me to work it all together for good?"

"What makes the Lord so dear to us is not so much His big blessings to us, but the tiny things, because they show His amazing intimacy with us- He knows every detail of each of our individual lives."

"O taste and see that the Lord is good"...even on day #279.

Our Twinnies are Six!

(click to enlarge any picture!)

Micah and Sarah with their cakes!

Sarah wanted a jewelry box cake this year!

The top was a sugar cookie, and the cake was filled with all kinds of candy jewelry!

Micah wanted a "rock castle" cake with a dragon and knights!

The turrets and towers are ice cream cones, and the stones are marshmallows sprayed with black food color spray.

It doesn't seem possible, but Micah and Sarah turned six today!  We celebrated their birthdays this past Saturday with their Uncle Dan, Aunt Darcie, Uncle Tim, Aunt Jessica, and cousins Emma, Sidney, Addison, Jill, Noelle, Scott, Allison, and Kelly.  What a precious time to be with family!

In keeping with our tradition, the twins had special cakes!  They always get to choose the theme of their cake, and I had the distinct honor of creating their cakes by myself this year.  Paul and I always do it together, so I missed him terribly, but Paul helped with ideas from afar!  These cakes are just one more thing I didn't think I'd be able to accomplish this year, but by God's grace, we had a great celebration!

Eight months!

Just a quick post today to proclaim God's goodness as we passed the eight-month mark for this deployment this last Monday.  Sometimes I have no idea how we all make it to the end of the day, but by God's grace, somehow we do.  The weariness has set in, and I am continually amazed at how the Lord provides what I need when I just don't feel like I can keep plodding forward.  A recent example-- I was struggling with frustration over homeschooling this week. After begging God for wisdom (He promised to give it generously and without reproach! James 1), the name of an older homeschooling mom from church came to mind.  I called her to see if I could make a phone date to talk with her after I got my kids into bed, and she ended up driving quite a distance to bring me a mocha and talk in person that night.  Her words were, "I will be there in an hour with coffee and the Holy Spirit."  She was a tremendous instrument of grace, and I cannot begin to adequately thank the Lord for her.  She helped me remember why I homeschool in the first place-- something I was struggling to remember in the midst of the weariness.

So the Lord keeps pulling us through, day by day.  How would we make it without Him?  I honestly don't know.  I'm very, very thankful I won't ever find out.  He said He'd never leave me or forsake me.

For now, we plod on toward the nine-month mark!

Seek Me like that...

Psalm 63:1-- "O God, You are my God; earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh faints for You, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water."

Every new year I ask the Lord for a verse that can be my theme for that calendar year.  As we approached this January, I began praying for that verse.  The verse written above was very present in my mind:  "O God, You are my God; EARNESTLY I seek you..." (emphasis mine). The verse the Lord gives me is always providential as the year unfolds, and it is starting to become an adventure in my own heart to see how the Lord will use a particular verse.  Last year's verse was Ps. 73:26-- "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."  At the beginning of 2008, I wondered why the Lord would give me that verse, but on December 31, 2008, I knew that I had needed that ballast when my heart and flesh did fail often, even daily, through a very difficult year.  The Lord graciously never lets me see ahead, but looking back I always see His providence in the verse He selects for me.

So what about this year's verse?

This last December, as I was trying to think of a gift idea for Paul, I decided that I would transfer many of our old videotapes onto DVD.  Paul has a DVD player in his office in Iraq, so I knew it was a gift he would enjoy!  Our old 8mm camera had broken, so I spread the word among some friends that I would like to borrow one.  Sure enough, one family from church brought me theirs to borrow the next Wednesday night, and I was sure I could give Paul a really precious gift!

That night I went home, put the kids to bed, and started searching for the old videotapes.  I thought I knew where I had put them, but when I looked, they were nowhere to be found.  I was literally up all night, searching and crying as I tore the basement workshop apart looking for the lost tapes.  I was frantic.  I was very concerned that all of our video memories-- the kids' births, their first steps, their little antics-- were gone.

I think the stress of the last seven months all culminated in that one night.  I had finally hit my breaking point, and I cried for hours.  I could not imagine what had happened to those tapes.  I felt crushed and bewildered.  Where could they be?  I couldn't even begin to imagine.

I finally gave up my search-- exhausted and spent emotionally.  I had spent too much time looking for them already and the search was just going to have to wait until after Christmas.  I resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn't be able to make the DVD's for Paul after all.

Paul arrived home on Christmas Eve, and we had a wonderful Christmas together.  The only thing he REALLY wanted for Christmas anyway was just to be with us, and God gave us that gift!  Those missing tapes were never far from my mind though, and I was itching to get back downstairs and resume my search.

A few days after we made the jump into 2009, my dear husband agreed to spend a couple of hours with me in the workshop, sorting things and giving me some direction on the piles, bins, and boxes.  We have never lived in a house longer than three years, so I've never had the opportunity to collect and store and pile.  However, we are nearing three years in this house, and stuff has started to accumulate.  Coupled with my rampage through the workshop in search of the lost tapes, that space was an absolute disaster.

Paul and I went downstairs, put on some music, and got started.  With each box I opened, my heart sank a little more because I still hadn't found those tapes.  I was beginning to run out of places they could be.  I was even crying again, but my rational husband kept saying, "They've got to be here somewhere."

After two hours of working, Paul took the kids to go do some errands before dinner.  I set a timer and decided to search for another half hour.  I started into the "keepsake" boxes where all of the "memories" are stored-- the place I thought I put the tapes in the first place.  That would make sense, right?

I came to one last box-- a box I had searched in four times already, and the place I thought I had put the tapes last summer.  There, at the bottom, were all of the videotapes-- right where I had thought they should be all along.  I had looked in that box, dug through the box, practically torn the box apart, but I had missed them during my frantic search in December.  I haven't lined up the dates, but I think they are all there-- about 15 of them.  I was absolutely stunned.

As I stood at my kitchen sink a few minutes later, I began asking God what He wanted me to learn from this whole experience.  Why wouldn't I have seen them?  That was where I thought I had put them originally, and I had looked there so many times.  How could I have been so blind?  How did I not see all those tapes?  Was there a reason He didn't allow me to see them that night?

The Holy Spirit had one phrase for me:  "Seek Me like that.  Seek Me like that."

I have only heard that phrase once before.  Several years ago, a friend in a Bible study gave a testimony about losing her wedding ring diamond while she was out shoveling snow.  As she frantically searched through sparkling snow for the lost stone, the Holy Spirit had clearly said to her, "Seek Me like that." 

I haven't thought about that testimony in a long time, but when I asked the Lord what I was supposed to take from this, He VERY CLEARLY reminded me of that phrase--"Seek Me like that.  Seek Me like that."

"But, Lord, I dug through the dust and cobwebs and old memories and accumulated junk like a mad woman.  I was frantic and unconcerned about anything else but finding those tapes.  Why didn't I see them then?  I have thought about them constantly." 

 I was sobbing by that time.

"Seek Me like that.  Seek Me like that."

OK, Lord, I'm listening.  I think I finally understand...

"O God, You are my God;   EARNESTLY I seek You..."

 

Back to the Five of Us...

Paul left again today after fifteen wonderful days at home on leave, and it is now just the five of us again for several more months.  It was so hard to see him go.  The good-byes are very draining. I relished just being a complete family again-- doing typical family things.  We didn't do a lot of extra things while he was here, but we had a great time together.  We especially enjoyed the gift of celebrating Christmas as a family!  The other highlight of the last two weeks was taking the kids on a road trip to Great Wolf Lodge.  We had a fantastic time, and Isaac was just big enough to go on all of the slides in the water park!  We made some precious family memories those days.  The balm to my heart today has been the hope that the next time I see my dear husband, Lord willing, this deployment will be finished.

As I beg God for grace to sustain us through this continued separation, I continually reflect on four verses.  They are verses the Lord has given me over the last few years as I have sought a theme verse for each new calendar year.  They all speak to me about who I am in Christ and the joyous blessings He bestows on me as His child.  I would like to share them here as I begin this new year.  The parts in bold print are the phrases that have come to mean so much-- my "ballast phrases" on long days.  If you have a "ballast verse or phrase" that sustains you, I would love to have you add it in the comments at the end of this post!

John 15:14-16--"You are my friends if you do what I command you.  No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you."

Psalm 73: 25-26-- "Whom have I in heaven but you?  And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." 

Hebrew 4:15-16--"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Jude 24-25--"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever.  Amen.

May the Lord continue to make His name very great as we plod on day by day.  

New Year's Greetings

Happy New Year!  Greetings to our family and friends in the name of Christ!

This has been a very difficult year for us, yet we have tasted the sweetness of the Lord like never before.  We praise Him for His goodness to us-- both in sending Christ and in taking care of our entire family.  We pray this greeting finds all of you well and experiencing the new mercies given daily by the Lord.

Paul with the kids at the airport on Memorial Day.

Paul was deployed to Iraq on Memorial Day, and the year has been one of intense loneliness, stress, and adjustment for our entire family.  Our church family has truly upheld us through this time.  Paul's aunt, Jessica, has also come regularly to help me despite having her own large family, and my own parents spent two weeks here around Thanksgiving, supporting and encouraging me immensely.  We are so thankful for all of them.

I approached this Christmas season very weary, yet I am constantly encouraged by the little things the Lord does to remind us that He is intimately acquainted with every detail of our lives.  I could write pages and pages about the ways He has shown Himself to be more than enough.  God has grown our marriage abundantly as we have had to rely solely on Him for comfort when our mate was so far away.  He has increased our friendship with each other in ways we never would have dreamed, and that is a very great blessing indeed.  

I am able to talk to Paul often and we e-mail regularly-- not all Army wives have such luxuries, and I am very thankful.  The children love to e-mail him as well, although the younger three dictate their message to me as I type, and then they spend much time punching in "x's" and "o's" themselves before clicking "send".  Paul always writes them back right away, and it is just precious.  Paul has also done a tremendous job of continuing to lead our family spiritually.  He videotapes daily devotions using a great resource based on the Westminster Shorter Catechism called Training Hearts, Teaching Minds by Starr Meade, and then he sends the tapes to me.  I play "Daddy's devotions" at night before the children go to bed.  Having Paul's continued leadership despite being so far away is a gift beyond description, both to the children and myself.

We are all thrilled to have Paul home for two weeks over Christmas and the New Year!  Please continue to pray for Paul as he serves the Lord in Iraq.  The days are long and lonely, and I know he misses us very much.  Cards and e-mail are a great gift to him.  Lord willing, he will be home the end of May 2009.  We do not know where the Army will send us next, so we are waiting and trusting that the Lord knows every detail yet to come.

Heidi and Isaac in September!

The children have done fairly well, although the stress of deployment has taken its toll at times. I am still homeschooling-- this year with three students!  I also have the joy of directing the adult choir at our church this year.  I always have visions of completed photo albums and completed sewing projects, but for now, we are plodding along by God's grace day by day.  The projects will just have to wait for another season of our lives.

Josiah-8 years old!

Josiah is now 8 and in the 3rd grade.  He has become an excellent swimmer this year and also spends much time curled up with a book.  He worked his way through some unabridged classic literature like Swiss Family Robinson and Treasure Island this past fall!

Our twinnies are 5!

Micah with a model truck he built!

Micah is 5 and is loving kindergarten!  He has also become a great swimmer!  He is very precise and affectionate, and loves K'nex and Legos especially!

Our "Curly Girly"!

Sarah is 5 and loves Kindergarten and swimming too.  She also took some gymnastics classes this year and is a great helper around the kitchen.  She is more of a free-spirit, dancing and singing all over the house!

Isaac at swimming lessons!

Isaac, our little laughter, is now 3 and LOVES to make us laugh!  He likes anything in the "potato chip and cracker" food group, and he is a real snugglebug!  I enjoy that a lot!

The kids and I at family camp!

The children and I spent three weeks on the road this last summer, covering 2600 miles, as we went to family camp at Scioto Hills Baptist Camp and then traveled on to Myrtle Beach to spend two weeks there with Paul's parents.  They were a tremendous encouragement and generously did everything they could to lighten my load and give us a nice vacation, despite Paul's absence.  We then had the opportunity to meet up with Paul in Virginia for a few days in early November when the Army sent him to America for a class.  The children are all great little travelers, and the Lord carried the five of us and Paul more than 15,000 miles total that week without a single problem-- yet another evidence of God's grace!

Just a few weeks ago, as I wandered around a store trying to gear up for Christmas shopping, I was struck by the thought that a thing far, far worse than living without Paul here for so many months would be living without Christ.  You are all very dear to us, and we pray that He will make His name very great in your life as we all plod on toward Heaven.   May Christ be more than enough for you now and throughout 2009!

Truth and Trash Bags

Handle-tie trash bags... I love them.  Oh, the feeling of pulling those slick little plastic ties out of the top of the bag and tying it up so nice and neat.  I detest twist ties, and even tying the top of the bag shut can be a real challenge if the bag is too full.  But handle tie trash bags... Ahhh. With the amount of trash we generate in our family, tying a trash bag is a big thing to me.

Do I buy handle-tie trash bags, though?  No.  Will I ever buy them again?  No.  Tying a regular trashbag has now become an act of worship in my life.  I don't think I could buy the others if my life depended on it.    

How could I ever worship God with the ordinary and mundane task of tying up garbage?  Can God be found in the most simple of tasks-- a re-orienting of my life and focus throughout the daily drudgery of chores?  Can God use even the most common things to teach us great truths about Himself...to teach me that I am not my own, but that I am bought with a price?  

My story about trash bags goes back several months to the time before we found out that my husband Paul would be deployed to Iraq for twelve months.  Our pastor was preaching on Daniel 1:8 where Daniel purposes in his heart that he will not eat the king's food.  I have always heard it preached that this decision was based on the fact that the food would have been served to idols first.  While that may be true, Babylonian culture would have dictated that EVERYTHING be served to idols, including the vegetables. Daniel went to the king's schools and wore the king's clothes.  So why did he reject the king's meat and wine in favor of the vegetables?

Yes, Jewish dietary laws may come into play, but my pastor asked these important questions--"What if Daniel chose the very mundane ritual of eating to continually remind himself that he belonged to Yahweh?  What if he purposed to live in such a way that there was no question who his God was?"  Simply put, in a culture full of idols and ritual religion, would dedicating one daily task to his own great God be enough to constantly remind himself that he did not belong to any other?  Would it tell the God-ignoring culture around him what, or for that matter, WHO was most important to him?

I listened to that sermon and began to mull it over in my mind.  "Is there anything that I could deliberately give up daily to remind myself that I belong to Yahweh?"  I began to pray that the Lord would show me what could become "the king's meat and wine" in my own life.

Fast-forward a month or so to April 2008 when we knew with certainty that deployment was the next challenge appointed for us.  As the reality began to sink in, I realized how much life would change.  In fact, there was one huge task that Paul had done regularly since our twins were born that was going to fall to me when he left:  grocery shopping.

Now, I can shop for groceries, but with so many little ones  at once-- four children in less than five years, to be exact-- it was just easier for Paul to go to the commissary or grocery store on his way home from work.  He also loves the challenge of finding the best deals.  He was happy to help, and I was happy to let him!    

As we talked through the changes that were about to come, Paul said one day, "Sweetheart, I'm sorry that you will have to do all of the grocery shopping."  I then teased my deal-loving husband, "That's ok.  Now I can buy handle-tie trash bags!"  Throughout our marriage, we have had an ongoing joke about those same lovely bags, but since he did the shopping, I was content to let him bring home the cheapest flat-topped bags.  It really didn't bother me, and he knew I was teasing him to say so.  He then retorted back to me, "Well, I'll just buy you twelve months worth of regular trash bags before I leave!"  We had a good laugh and went on with our day.

Over the next few days, the Lord began to prick my heart about the way even something as insignificant as a trash bag could become an object of disrespect in my marriage.  Even though I was truly teasing Paul, could that become a tool for Satan to use down the road as he craftily drew my attention to myself, whispering, " When your husband was gone, you got to buy whatever you wanted, but now that he's back..."?  I so badly wanted to uphold and respect Paul's leadership in our home while he was gone so that it wouldn't be such a hard transition when he came back home.  I know my own sinful potential for enjoying being in charge.  Does the curse in the Garden of Eden come to mind?  While he was gone, I was going to be responsible, but not in charge, and I needed to live that truth.

So I finally had the answer to my prayer about the "king's meat and wine".  Trash bags.  Plain, ordinary, flat-topped, cheap trash bags.  I could worship the one true God every time I tied a trash bag.  I could be reminded of I Corinthians 6: 19-20 which tells me the amazing truth that I am not my own, I am bought with a price.  I am to glorify God in my body and in my spirit, because they belong to Him.

So now every day I tie the bag, and say the verse, and let the Lord re-orient my perspective.  It has not always been easy.  At times, it has been very difficult to be reminded that I don't live for myself.  The Lord continues to gently lead me down the path toward godliness, although I have so very far to go and spend most days just slogging along by His grace.  Truth and trash bags-- two seemingly unrelated things that had a head-on collision in this Army wife's existence.

When Paul deployed, I decided to keep track of how many trash bags I would tie throughout the year he's gone.  I may have missed a few here or there, but at the time I write this, I am up to 198 with six months to go.  Almost two hundred reminders that I am not my own.  Two hundred opportunities for the Lord to remind me that He bought me and I exist to glorify Him.

Handle-tie trash bags... I love them.  But I am learning to love Christ and His claim on my life more.  Can you worship with the mundane task of tying a trash bag?  Absolutely.  I do it every day.  

  

   

Our Birthday Cake Tradition!

It has been a tradition in our family for several years to make any style birthday cake the children want, starting when they turn three.  Paul and I have always done it together, and we try as much as possible to make almost everything edible.  With Josiah's birthday recently, I had expected to make his cake by myself, so I spent a lot of time mulling over his choice-- a jungle cake.  Then the Lord allowed Paul to be home for Josiah's birthday, so we once again had the joy of constructing a cake together! 

Eventually the kids are going to come up with an idea that goes beyond our cake-decorating ability, but so far, we have been able to have some great celebrations.  They really look forward to it!  They even talk about their next birthday cake choice all year long, sometimes starting the day after their birthday as we sit around the table eating leftover cake!

(To see some pictures of our past cakes, see the slideshow on the left-hand side of our blog entitled "Cakes, Cakes, and more Cakes!"  So far we've made a polar bear, a fire engine, a T-rex, a princess, a crocodile, a race car, a pink pig, a tank, a tiger, a princess castle, a globe, Mack from the movie "Cars", and the jungle cake shown above!)