Simple Pleasures

I was sitting at the table this morning, sipping on a cup of coffee, the heaters were purring, and the rain was lashing outside, never pausing for a rest. Feeling a bit chilly, I thought I'd get a blanket to wrap up in. Before I left my chair, I heard my three year old patter down the hall. He greeted my with a sleepy smile.
"It's time to wake up?" he asked.
"Yes, sweetheart, it is." I replied. With a hopeful look, he asked "I can sit with you?"
"Yes, my precious baby." I tell him. "You may."
He climbed up on my lap, wrapped his little arms around my neck and rested his little head on my shoulder.
I breathed in his clean little boy scent. It was so much more gratifying than even the smell of my coffee on this dark stormy morning. His precious need for mommy warmed me through better than any blanket could have today.

something new

I want to do something new. Something else. I want to write. I've been reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. It's a great book. Slow in the beginning. Really, you don't get the two 'heroes' together until the middle of the novel, but then things take off quickly from there. The story is built up well. the characters evolve beautifully. I have feelings about each character.
Any how, it has me excited again about writing - anything - I guess. I'll be digging out the notebook in the quiet, wee hours!

Unstoppable

He was unstoppable. A brilliant military leader, and a strong spiritual influence.
Because of his unstoppable faith, an entire nation followed his Godly example. He was Joshua, leader of the Israelites, appointed by God.

What made Joshua –and the nation of Israel, unstoppable? When God spoke, Joshua listened and obeyed. He was committed to obeying God. He didn’t have a secret formula, or one particular friend that prayed in a darkened corner. Joshua’s faith was constant. He obeyed God in this direct command. When God appointed Joshua as leader of His nation, He said “Be strong and courageous, for you must bring the people of Israel into the land I swore to give them. I will be with you.” Deuteronomy 31:33. Joshua obeyed this command

Joshua 7:7-9 is Joshua's honest prayer. There was trouble, and he didn’t understand why. He pleaded with God. He opened himself up and shared the defeat that Israel was experiencing. He wondered why God had allowed them to fail. He received an answer. He listened, and obeyed.

When Joshua encountered a setback-and this one was huge-he didn’t stop. He didn’t give up. He obeyed. Joshua decided to follow his Lord wherever He led, and whatever it cost.

What stops us? What stops you? What stops the body of Christ at Monroe Community Chapel?
Could we become unstoppable?

By staying in touch with God, we will have the needed wisdom to meet the great challenges of life (Joshua 7:7-9). Loving God means more than being enthusiastic about Him. We must complete all the work he gives us and apply his instructions to every corner of our lives. Being unstoppable for, in, and through God doesn’t happen only when and if it’s convenient. Sometimes, it just isn’t! God’s work done in God’s way will bring His success. Our strength to do His work comes from trusting Him. We have choices. We can choose to allow God to make us unstoppable

Proof of Love?

I heard someone say that obedience isn't the result of serving God, but proof of how much we love Him.
I chewed on that for a while. I wasn't sure I agreed. The more I turned that over in my mind, the more I was convicted about my 'proof of love' for God.
Do I obey the way I teach my kids to obey? Right away, all the way, and with a joyful heart.
uh, nope.
If it were a result of something, it would get easier. Obedience would be natural and would flow evenly.
It doesn't. Not for me, anyway. Obedience is an effort. It's a choice, and not always an easy one.

Pregnant...still

Yep. Still. About 2 months left.
Aches
Pains
Discomfort
Acid Reflux
Exhaustion
Lethargy
I've been pregnant for a total of 62 months out of my lifetime.
Good thing those littles are worth every moment...

Baby steps

The littlest one is walking. He has graduated from holding on to furniture and walls, and is instead wobbeling about through the house.

His first few steps looked like the movements of those little green army men when someone is propelling them forward. Now he has the more customary stance of other novice walkers, with the hands held up on either side of the head and a huge grin on his face!

I thought it would be a good idea to get a pair of 'real' shoes for him, since it is winter and he will want to walk outside. We went to the shoe store in bought the standard white, lace up, high top first time walking shoes. I set him on the floor to try them out. He refused to move. He became a wavering statue. No movement of the feet. At all.
Finally, I took his hands and urged him forward. He moved - by lifting each foot as high as possible and shaking it a little before setting it down to lift the other. He took about half a dozen steps this way before taking to the floor in a crawl.

This time of learning to walk is exciting for parent and baby alike. Parents have urged and cheered their baby to this milestone and are thrilled when the little sweet heart has shown mastery of this new skill.
Baby is aware, suddenly, of the many escape routes to freedom. Any door is fair game. Watch how fast they go from those first unstable steps to running at olympic sprinting speeds!

We desire our children to learn the skills to become independant from us. Our hope is that they learn to navigate life without needing to hold our hands at every turn. When they begin to assert their independence, we smile and revel the 'first' moments of pride as the sweet little babies learn forward mobility. Then, after a couple of weeks, when the newness of this skill wears off - no, wears thin - we realize that we battle the desire to scoop them up and cradle them close. To keep them safe and dependent - at least for a little while longer.