Helpless

Nothing breaks my heart like a wounded child- particularly one of my own, but really just anybody's.

The other day on the playground, I watched as a little girl rolled, happily, in a large pile of mulch near the playground by our house. And it wasn't until I heard her urgent screams and saw the desperation on her face, that I realized she was covered- and I mean, covered in fire-ants.

In a state of agony and panic, she managed to shriek out one word, over and over again. "Mom! Mom! Mom!"

She stood at her mother's feet, arms outstretched, completely helpless. She didn't give advice, she didn't try to wipe the furious ants from her own body, she just stood. Screaming. Trembling. Trusting...that her mother, who loved her, would save her and put an end to the pain that enslaved her.

It was absolutely terrible to watch. And since I was holding my own small child, I just stood there, watching, completely unable to help, listening to the sounds of her pitiful screams.

A knot rises in my throat when I think about it. She is fine...by the way! Fully recovered. But it touches my soul to think how she must love that heroic mother of hers.

And it begs me to ask myself, When I stand, trembling, aching, fearful, and in despair...who do I call out to? Do I call out at all, or do I reach down and brush myself off? Do I turn to my husband? My mom? My church? Or my Savior?

Oh, if my heart would but trust in that loving Savior of mine! Wouldn't I reach out to Him in times of trouble to find Him there, willing and able to comfort me and give me rest!

I pray that my heart would be faithful. I pray that I would stand at His feet, having nothing to offer, knowing my helplessness, knowing my need. Trusting in the one who can save.

And I pray this for you, too.

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Blogging for books!

So I started blogging for books, which is really cool because I get the books for FREE!

Yay! Even better than that, if I get high rankings, I get better book selections and I might possibly win free stuff...which is, well, awesome.

So...

I wonder if you wouldn't mind ranking my last review?

You can do that, here.

In case you take time out of your busy day to do this for me, I'm going to go ahead and say thank you in advance...thank you. You are amazing, and I love you.

Sincerely.

:)

Did I mention that by rating my review you automatically enter yourself for a chance to win the book that I reviewed? There's some motivation for ya!

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Puddles and Pottys

If you get all wiggly and awkward when you read words like tee tee, or potty, or poo poo, then you should probably abort reading this post. :) It's not for you.

Which, by the way, I was just told by a new non-southern friend that the word, "tee-tee" is a southern word! In't that weird?? In fact, the way she said it was, "The other day, another lady- not from the south, asked me, 'have you heard them call it "tee-tee" yet'?"

I'm sorry if I just caused you to OD on quotation marks, but I thought that was funny. ha!

Anyway, on to the point of this post...

I'm potty-training my middle child!

And really, there's nothing like potty-training to set your nerves on edge, but keeping a good sense of humor during the process is important. *giggles frantically*

I actually didn't realize that I was on edge until I caught myself rushing to the bathroom in a tizzy after I realized that I needed to go tinkle. Oops, wrong person...

Ha ha. Oh yeah! That 30 second window is actually not as important when it's you that has to "Go"!

Whew. Sigh of relief.

There is something slightly sweet about it too though isn't there?

Potty training reminds me of this verse,

1For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

Wise words. This is so true isn't it? Our lives are just a sequence of seasons. Good seasons, bad seasons, hard seasons, joyful seasons, seasons of learning, seasons of forgetting, seasons of healing, seasons of peacemaking, seasons of resting.

Knowing this sort of makes me sad for the seasons that have already come and gone...while at the same time, I'm happily anticipating other seasons yet to come.

But it definitely takes some of the stress OUT of potty-training, doesn't it? And in a strange way, it makes you want to stop and savor the cute, little puddle next to the potty. Cause next season, it (probably) won't be there.

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True Love

This past weekend, my husband and I went to the movies.

We never go out, so for us this was a major treat!

So we went to the movies, and we saw a chick-flick. Guess who got to pick the movie??

I won't say which movie, because that is not the point of this post, but I will say,

It was terrible.

It did well at the box office.

It was the most shallow, uncomplicated, unrealistic romance movie I have ever seen. The plot was boring and the character development was...well, there really wasn't any. They ( the people who wrote/produced the movie) are relying on the hope that most of the girls who bought tickets would be thoughless, love-hungry and very imaginative.

Which, proudly, I can say I'm only 1 out of those 3.

I sort of felt manipulated when I left. Like, I knew what they wanted me to do was go home and be dissatisfied that my man is not "that" man.

But really, which man is?

Tell you what real romance is...

Real romance, is my husband coming home at 5:00 (After I have had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad, sick day) today with a bouquet of cold medicine, OJ, fresh oranges and a grapefruit, chocolate, and a baked chicken for supper.

That, my friends, is romantic.

Could you write a whole movie around it?

Maybe not.

But it sure made my poor, tired heart skip a beat.

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Book Review: Lilies in Moonlight

Skeptic that I am, I just knew that this book was going to be nothing more than a simple, depth-less, unlikely tale of romantic do-goodery.

I am happy to say, I could not have been more wrong.

Lilies in Moonlight is clever, flirtatious, tasteful, and believable.

For two days, my beautiful children peered at me longingly over their oatmeal, while I reluctantly tore myself from the pages to answer their questions with absent, glazed-over eyes.

Set in the mid 1920's, the story begins in a period of discontinuity and redefinition. With the chill of war still hanging in the air, disillusionment and fear are countered with rebellion and modern, progressive thinking. Springing forth from such a period is our protagonist, Lily Margolis, a beautiful, iconic "flapper" girl. Outwardly, Lily exudes confidence. She is free-thinking and independent, fun-loving and foolish. But in the hidden person of her heart, she is tormented, fearful, broken, and utterly lost. Through a series of events, she is met with her unlikely counterpart, Cullen Burnside, a war wounded, ex-professional baseball player. Together, they journey down the bumpy road of self-discovery. And love.

Though initially it would seem that this is a story about cat-eyes, rebellion, and mischief, the characters' outer layers are peeled back with such tasteful timing, as to reveal much richer, much more satisfying themes, such as trust, forgiveness, restoration, and grace. I do regret that the author did not delve deeper into some of the theological applications of these themes; however, it is possible that her intention was to "plant the seed" so to speak, and allow the imagination room to wander.

Allison Pittman brings the 20's to life in such a way that it's possible to close your eyes and smell the buttery popcorn emanating from the busy, roaring, classic, early American baseball stadium. She paints an accurate picture of the feminist movement, simultaneously illuminating the destruction and devastation that result from living a scandalous, unregenerate lifestyle.

To use the catch phrase of the era, this book was the "bee's knees".

Just read it, and see for yourself. :)

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

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A big Battle with little People

Do you ever go to war with your children?

I do.

This week has been a battle of control.

A losing battle for all parties. My children have sensed weakness in me. They know when I am tired and overwhelmed, and they push the boundaries. They see how far they can make me bend before I snap...and snapping is inevitable at this pace. And also unGodly.

Ahh the great conundrum.

(And to all you young, hipster, postmodern mommies who are thinking, "Um, you really shouldn't try to control your children. They aren't objects." --this is what I have to say to you....ha hA HA HA HA HA. Sorry. But no, really. HA HA.

Onward--

So I think I have developed, or picked up, a few strategies that are helpful. I thought I would share.

At the point in the battle when you feel you have lost all control, your children have stopped responding, you feel overwhelmed and defeated...

1. Pray. This is a battle you cannot win. Go to the throne of grace and beg for God's mercy. You are unable, but He is able! And remember, your actions are not reactions to your children's unholiness, but a reaction to the Gospel. You are capable of training and discipling your children by the power of the Spirit who is at work within you. Call out to Him for help- it is your greatest asset!

2. Facilitate an outlet. Are you stir crazy? They probably are too! This would be a great time to take them to a park or let them romp in your backyard. You don't have to stay indoors and watch while they tear down the walls brick by brick. Get them out of the house and into a place where they can be crazy and destructive. Let them play in the mud and cake it over every surface of their tiny bodies...sometimes that is healthy. I mean, grown women pay to have mud spread all over their faces. That stress-releasing-tradition started somewhere, right? Sometimes I even take my 5 year old outside and make her run laps. Sounds mean, but she actually loves it. And when she comes back inside, she has run all her crazy out.

3. Divide and Conquer. Do you have more than 1 tiny person? Because I do. And let me tell you, there is strength in numbers. Separate the tiny people, and you weaken them. Did you know...it is okay to ask your child to spend time alone? For a long time, I had a very unrealistic sense of guilt for asking my children to spend time away from me. That is absurd. Put one child in his/her room for 30 minutes and let one play in the living room. Then switch. If you have time, spend some one on one time with each child- reading, coloring, playing with play dough...this might be a good stress relief for you too! Or ask them to play separately and alone. This is not child neglect. It is good for them to learn independent play!

4. Rethink your House Rules.

(This is advice from my husband-picked up from the Desiring God conference) Your job as a parent is not to make your children conform to the law, but to love the law. Is your house a house full of yes's? Or No's? Do you feel like you are punishing your children for everything that they do? Maybe it is time to rethink your house rules. Your house should be a house full of yes's. This allows you to discipline less, but be firm when you do have to discipline. Think of the garden of Eden. Everything was there for their pleasure, with the exception of one tree. And that tree had serious consequences--death. (This is not me endorsing Capitol punishment for your children.) You can see that our God is a God who delights in our pleasure. He has bestowed on us blessing after blessing, so we as parents should delight in bringing our children happiness. Let them be children. Without giving away your authority, limit the scope of the law to a point that they can begin loving it. Once they appreciate the law's boundaries, you can expand the boundaries with them as they grow. This will probably mean channeling your own creativity to provide them with things to do--in other words, more yes's.

Hopefully these strategies will be helpful for you as you fight for the control of your household.

"Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the things to come." Proverbs 31:25

Do you veterans have any additional strategies that might be helpful to those of us who are still in the trenches? If so, please share!

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Riddles

It's funny (isn't it?), that the group of believers, who are calling out others as wicked deceivers, are doing so by voicing their disdain for religion by narrow-mindedly putting them in a pigeon---hole.

See, I can do it too, I passed eighth grade English. But just because I rhyme doesn't mean I distinguish my point of view in a way that elevates my reason. I'm frustrated that you, zealots, are giving birth to a season--of division.

It would seem those ole boring church folk who "preach grace" are practicing hypocrisy and giving some space to the needy, the broken, the humble and meek, but tell me homeboy...what is it you seek? Tell you what I've learned, in regard to the humble...they aren't out on street corners trying to mumble words about the "true Christians who are tryin". They're sittin at the nursing home with the widow who's cry in.

You want to truly make a difference in the church? Get out of the spotlight and do some Kingdom work.

You got problems with my preacher cause he's not reinventing? Well I guess you would, but know what? He's too busy preventing the sheep in his care from being led astray by bigots and zealots and those who would say that being a Christian doesn't come with a rule book...But take out your Bible with me, take a good look: 1 Peter talks about being sober-minded. Let's look at the next verse together and be reminded...that "He who has called you is holy, you ALSO be holy in your conduct" I'm sorry if sin blinded... you.

I get it that the church and it's people have their issues, what I don't understand is why you choose to misuse your strength to attack those who are sinners just like YOU, when you could be encouraging the burnt out to renew the Faith that the Lord Jesus Christ has gifted them too. Do you really think it's as easy as sifting them through the "new order" of Christian expectations written by you?

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