My Secret Identity

Do y'all (over the age of...mmm...thirty-eight or so) remember that show? My Secret Identity? I'm pretty sure it was too cheesy for even Netflix to pick up.

Moving on....

The past couple of weeks (or months, I don't really know) I've been described as a few things, sometimes by other people, sometimes it's the voice in my head.
I've read it in blogs, heard it on the news shows,
that if I believe one way, I must be _____.

We've all got labels, wanted and not.
There are titles we wear proudly, and others we just wear.
Cause they might be true.
Some of them we wear because we just can't seem to shake 'em.

They can be adjectives to describe our God-given personality,
the darkest parts of us, or the stuff in-between.
You know: the good, the bad, the ugly.

If we hear them long enough,
they could become the totality of who we believe we are.
The sum of us.

Wife
Mom
Homeschool Mom
Type A (winking at my friend*)
Fat
Goodie Two Shoes
Crazy
Spaz
Organized
Confident
Super conservative
Fake
Opinionated
Foul
Ridiculous
Emotional
Christian
Not a Christian (It's an election year)
Loud
Bad A** (actually, I said that one. Ha!)
Sinner (Nobody can out-sin me.)
Racist
Pretty
Homophobic
Medicated
Evangelical
Evangelical Conservative
Tough
Teacher
Manic
Contradictory (If nothing else, this.)
Vain
Bigot
Depressed
Too much
Too little
Legit
Awesome
Over the top
High strung
A hot mess

Oh, there's more. No doubt.

Some of these are spot on.
The rest have probably been spot-on at one point or another.

Of all those labels and adjectives, there's the one that I have the most difficulty remembering:

I am free.

Free.

If you are reading this, and you call Jesus "Lord",
you are free.
You are free from the box that someone wants you to fit in.
You are free from the past.

Easy to say.

I am free from condemnation.
By God's grace that can only be described as scandalous,
I am free from my sin.
I am free from others' sins against me.
I am free of labels.
I am free to change my mind.
I am free to repent, to change direction.
I am free to serve.
I am free to love.
I am free to give.

So are you. We are free.

We are free to belong to the One who made us and
loves me even though He knew we would reject Him.

We are free. We are free because Jesus of Nazareth set us free.

Yes. It's cheesy.
But, the pic is mine so no one will get mad at me.

Free indeed.

You don't even have to keep it a secret.
*Smile*

On Doing a New Thing or Three

Hello? Hello? *tap, tap*

Testing. 1, 2, 3.

Oh, yay. You're there. Thank you for your patience. 

I contemplated telling you we've been experiencing technical difficulties, but then I might as well put accelerant right in the yoga pants I'm wearing.  

So, I'm glad you're here. 

I've got a few things to bring you up to speed on. I know it isn't gonna happen in one post, so I'll just tell you a few *new* things I did these past few weeks. Doing new things is something I mostly love. I mean, not the new thing of a mammogram, but meeting new people, going new places...you get the idea. 

Honeymoon Island.
The End.

A New Thing

Since we moved back to Florida, an EXACT YEAR AGO, (For the love of Jack Johnson, I can not believe it's been a year!) Spouse and I have really enjoyed Instagramming our little town and the beachy loveliness all around us. Through social media hashtags and our photog friend, Stephanie, I connected with a group of creatives through the Cleargram community. This past week, there was a "meet up" in my little downtown. So fun! So, I went! It was so fun walking around, chatting with an amazingly diverse group of people, and getting creative tips.
The evening began and ended at a fun little local spot with my Spouse, excellent wings, a drum circle and great strangers I "met" online, and I only got one great picture. Just one. (Like that's not good enough.) That's what the group is about!
Of course, Spouse got a cool one, too. Whatever. Anyway.
Talk about a new thing. Strangers from the inter webs.
And a few of them, I would have taken home in a heart beat. For sure. Love.

Dennis.

Another New Thing. 

In a total impulsive move, I bought a treadmill on Craigslist last month. It had rained for 40 days and 40 nights here (OK, maybe like 3 weeks, but whatever) and I needed something. So, I bought a treadmill for $85. Then, a few weeks later, I remembered that I don't really love a treadmill. Plus, I really would love a foosball table for my downstairs big room. So I listed it back on Craigslist. For $125. And I got it. Ha! I Googled the potential buyer, and found him on Linked In. I determined he wasn't a WhackaDoo and gave him my cell. Plus, my sweet neighbors agreed to be my Security Team. They came over and secured me and fixed the treadmill I thought I broke. I made $40 on a Craiglist purchase. Total new thing! Yay me! And yay! Spouse for driving me to pick it up to begin with! Hashtag marriage.

The two in the front here are my neighbors
that I wish the whole world could meet. 

The Biggest New Thing

Well. This is a dadgum doozie. I went to my first high school orientation as a parent. Well, not exactly. We had a little unconventional adoption back in '98 that I'll have to tell you about at another time. This was my first high school orientation as a parent of a biologically born child. We have homeschooled since 2009. 

'"The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace."'
Numbers 6:24-26

Tomorrow TOMORROW!!! will be our first First Day of School in 7 years. (We started January '09.) We love homeschooling. No doubt. But, ya know what? We loved our public school! LOVED IT! There was not a single reason to leave except for a specific calling from Jesus. We knew it. And I was scared/sad/excited/ etc. I loved my little community of that elementary school and I left it! And we have loved homeschooling. Loved it. Home education is not broken in our home. Know that, precious reader. Not broken. We might do it again. But, for the Big Sister, attending a local Christian High School is a new adventure. It is something that we have prayed over  and decided for her and WITH her for this season. It may be a year or two or four. We don't know. 

I just need you people to understand one thing:

MY CHILD IS GOING TO HIGH SCHOOL TOMORROW!

I'm so excited for her. She is filled with the Spirit of the Living God. I have assurance of that. She is an excellent student. And this will be hard. Hard academically, physically (early mornings!!), and even spiritually (she's gonna be tested a bit). This kid is up for the challenge. And her Jesus is BIG.

There you have it.
A few NEW THINGS I've done.

"The past events have indeed happened.
Now I declare new events;
I announce them to you before they occur."
Isaiah 42:9

Did you do anything new this week?

PS: I'll update more on this high school biz asap. We've celebrated & counted down pretty big. :))

14 Truths on her 14th Birthday.

Another birthday in the house. Big Sister is 14.
I'm so excited for her future. This kid is the real deal.

I'm not the mom that cried at kindergarten or cries as my girls get older,
although all these baby teeth pics are killing me.

I do, however, get a sense of urgency.
I am keenly aware that, while I hope to always be a sounding board, my in-house influential days are numbered. I'll never not be their momma, but ya know. There are so many things I want my girls to leave the nest with: good flossing habits, a healthy body image, a solid foundation of the Word, and knowing that their parents are flawed people in pursuit of Jesus. I want them to know how to cook some basic meals and keep a house and make it a  home. I want them to know how to speak up for themselves, to call "Bull" when necessary, to know their worth, and to write notes. I want them to live well and love well, to value people over things.
So many things. So little time.

I have a general rule about making promises to my kids (I don't love it); I like to keep us all flexible, but for such an occasion, I thought I'd list {updated} fourteen promises she can be sure of today, tomorrow, and most days...
Grinning.

1. The more you know the Truth, the more you'll recognize a lie.
Plaster your memory with the Word. 
How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your Word. 
I will seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. 
Psalm 119:9-11

2. The issue that you have the hardest time with today will be the very thing that will bring forth your victory in Jesus.
Your weakness is His strength. It's His specialty. Ask me how I know.
"My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness."- Jesus
2 Corinthians 12:9

3. You will never regret being classy.

4. You will not immediately understand every decision I make over these next few years.

5. Most of your regrets will be the things you didn't do, rather than the things you did.
Be brave. Cheer for the underdog. Dance. Go for broke. Big risks yield big rewards.

6. Jesus in you will always shine brighter than the lipstick on you.
But, I'm not opposed to lipstick. :)

7. It is possible to love your body and want to improve it.
Be strong, be healthy, and be ready to GO when the Lord calls you!

8. Encouraging others (especially girls) doesn't mean that you are less than,
it means you are strong enough to lift them up.
Be a cheerleader for your people. 

9. The second mile is the best mile.
Go the distance. Even when you don't have to.

Member that time you ran a triathlon!?

10. Your heart will lie to you.
Your gut is usually right. The Word is always right.

11. Confidence is not the same as arrogance.
Confidence is an attractive quality, wear it well.

12. When in doubt, overdress.

Cause, ya know, mud.

13. You can never out love me nor out sin me. 
This is not a challenge. Please don't try.

14. Your best days are coming.
Keep a good pair of shoes handy cause you are going places. 

Happy birthday, Sister. I love you more than strawberries.

Enlisted: Angel Caller.

We seem to fight a lot, don't we?
Fight traffic.
Fight the urge to ____.
Fight for the hearts of our children?
Fight for our marriages. (Please do.)
Fight in our marriages. (Sometimes.)
Fight injustice.
Fight the culture of unbelief.
Fight our flesh.
Fight the cantankerous person at work. (Don't.)

If you've been in church for any length of time,
you may have heard a bit of Paul's letter to the Ephesians:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:10-12

As believers, we are in a perpetual war. The moment Jesus wrecks our plans and we join his, we are  enlisted in an army of warriors and we seem to fight from all sides.

It can be overwhelming.
It's difficult to know what our "Military Occupation Specialty" should be in this war. It's difficult to grapple with an ordinary roll. Especially in our social media society of watching other people do grandiose feats in the name of Jesus and then write books about it and travel all over and whatnot.
What am I supposed to do? What's my role in all of this?

Then, I was reminded.
I listened to a speaker a couple of weeks ago give "a warning against prayerlessness". I immediately knew I was about to take a punch in the gut.
I'm a doer. I like to ask other people to pray for me while I go do.
She said, "In America, we value 'do'. God can 'do' immeasurably more."
Snap. This lady hates me and she's never even met me.

Speaking in the context of fighting human trafficking, she said,
"This is a spiritual battle. We fight spiritual battles in spiritual ways." We pray.
Praying is doing.

Citing Peter's escape from prison as told in Acts 12, I was knocked over afresh by the power of the praying Church.

So Peter was kept in prison, but 

the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.” 

Acts 12:5-11 (Emphasis mine.)

The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament quotes Puritan preacher Thomas Watson as stating that prayer is the turning point in this account. He further stated, 

"The angel fetched Peter out of prison, 
but the prayers fetched the angel."

What's my role? I'm an Angel Caller.

No matter your season, you can position yourself in the Army as an Angel Caller. 

We can raise up sons and daughters to be Angel Callers. No. We must.

"You can do more than pray, after you have prayed, 

but you cannot do more than pray 

until after you have prayed." John Bunyan

Let's do it. Let's call the angels.

Eyeliner Faith.

2012 was a ride. 

2013 has been a radioactive ride. 

This week was test week here in my house. 

The Big Sister had a midterm in Science. 

I had a Body Scan. 

No joke: she thought they were the same thing. I deserve the first Olympic Medal for 2014 for the sport of Parental Restraint. 

Anyway, this was my second scan of the year. In May, we got a diagnosis of a Thyroid Cancer Recurrence. There were aspects of the testing, diagnosis, and treatment that Spouse and I were not satisfied with, so we we went with Jesus. We were at peace with it. 

This week, after two days of injections and blood draws, I took myself to Nuclear Medicine Department and they gave me a new bracelet! This was my reward for two weeks of Low Iodine Diet. (LID is less than awesome, in case you were wondering.)

They also made me radioactive. This wasn't a treatment dose, so there was no isolation. Nothing like swallowing a pill from a lead canister that you can't touch with your fingers. 

Thursday, we went to Santa's Wonderland in College Station. So fun and so cold. The painful kind of cold.

Friday. Test Day. We had a celebratory lunch at Taste of Texas already planned. We weren't really worried. But, when doubt crept in, my mind would go crazy. What do you wear to a Body Scan? Do I bother with eyeliner? I don't even wear eyeliner every day. Just church. And special dress ups.

I enlisted my army of prayer warriors.

I put on the eyeliner. 

Sometimes, having faith means wearing the eyeliner.

This was my bed for an hour. With a nice, warm blanket.

My prayer was specific: "Cancer-free scan and immediate results". We had to wait a little bit and be a little assertive to see the radiologist, but we did get to see him and we did get immediate results. 

We were so grateful to hear him say, "I don't see any indication that this is anything more than residual thyroid tissue. Not recurrent cancer. And there is certainly no reason to treat that."

Praise the Lord. God is good and I'm his favorite.

Grinning.

Spouse and I didn't even know what to say at first. A lot of "Thank you, Jesus"'s. I'm assuming they were interceded into groanings that were eloquent and articulate. 

All of a sudden, I thought of the eyeliner. 

I got in the car and had a total nervous cry. Like Miss America. Like a sweepstakes winner. Like someone who had just been justified after dealing with well-meaning doubters and questions and spent a bunch of money on medical costs for the last 7 months. 

Like a person healed by an Almighty God.

This happened:

This is my life. Right here. Seriously.
They're all "Love you so much...Dork".

We got some little girls together and went to Taste of Texas for the first time. Can I just say, with all the love, "THANK YOU, ERICA, FOR TELLING ME ABOUT THIS GOODNESS AND I CUSS ALL THE PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T!"

Our sweet server asked if we were celebrating anything. "Um, Yes, Robbie, we are celebrating a cancer-free scan." Robbie was awesome, "Praise Jesus! Let's celebrate!"
We did.

Are those Christmas nails so cute? They are so distracting while I'm trying to type here!
They are glittery acrylic powder, not polish. This is new to me. I'm very excited!

On May 12, 2013, I asked you for a specific prayer: 

"Pray it to be gone, in Jesus' name.
That's it. Gone.
I'm gonna be very honest here. I don't need "happy thoughts" or "positive vibes" sent my way. I'm asking for real, sold out, fruit-producing Jesus followers to reach out and touch his garment on my behalf and ask the Great Physician to speak life into my throat and kill the death.
Boom. That's it. Pray big. Pray expectantly.

All I want to hear from Jesus is "Take heart, daughter, your faith has made you well."
(Matthew 9:20-22)"

Boom.

That's it.

God is good.

Touchdowns & Kisses

Floyd Casey Stadium. Photo credit: My Spouse!

Spouse and I recently learned of a Texas A&M football tradition that is way better than any drinking game you can learn on any number of typical college campuses.

Last weekend, we went to the Baylor University homecoming game with some of our closest, sweetest friends. Joe is a Baylor alumnus, so we all decided to meet up in Waco for the weekend's festivities. Baylor had scored maybe their second touchdown when Joe let us know their football tradition that they had carried on from our other friends and former pastor & wife, Michael & Liliana.

Evidently, Michael & Liliana kiss each time their team scores at a football game.
We adopted this little tradition faster than you can say, "Gig Em!".

<<I realize in Bear Country, they say "Sic Em Bears!" and I did. Happily. But, I learned that this sweet little kissy tradition came from Aggie Nation. My friends lived in Austin for several years, and apparently caught this vision and brought it to Plant City, Florida! I love it. The point is the "game", not the origin.

So, "Whoop!" or "Gig Em!" or "Sic Em" Whichever! This is a great Tex-tradition! >>

This sweet couple just took a cool college tradition and turned it into a marriage game.

Husbands & Wives, this is brilliant on so many levels.

It's fun. Football games & sporting events in general are fun. Little traditions like this just add to it. Marriage is not a burden to us, my Spouse is not a burden. We enjoy being together and an appropriate little smooch just expresses it. Listen. You can High-Five anybody, even strangers on the row behind you, but kissing at every 'score' (See what I did there?) takes that celebration to a whole 'nother level with your spouse! (That last prepositional phrase is there for a reason, Kids.) (I have a lot of younger readers.) (I'm not saying all kisses have to happen within marriage, but it wouldn't hurt.)

It's unifying. I hope that's a real word. There's not red squiggly underneath it, so I'm going with it. During that whole game, Debra and I were chatting away and solving all the world's problems. But, when Baylor scored, we turned and kissed our husbands! Heyyyy! It was just a little trigger to bring our attention back to our men for just a brief second. Don't you know they loved that junk!?

It edifies marriage. Our culture is not pro marriage. As Christians, we have to be counter-cultural in every way we can, and this accomplishes that in a non-confrontational way. As much as depends on you, be pro marriage! (You do not have to be married to be pro marriage.)

It's a good example. My kids watch our marriage intently. If we've done nothing else right, these girls see that their parents are into each other. Being affectionate (appropriately) in front of the kids is healthy. Then, lock the door.

It honors God. I just have to believe that God is thrilled every time Michael & Liliana share a little marital moment at football games. He designed marriage. He created us for physical intimacy and He created us to enjoy life. When all these things come together, the Lord smiles. I just know it.

Incidentally, the final score was 71-7, Baylor. That's a good start to this newly adopted tradition.

Do you have any fun little traditions like this?

Climb to the 'summit' of Enchanted Rock? Kissies!

PS- Listen. I'm pretty sure I just made up that every time a husband and wife share a kiss, a pegasus gets its wings. Do you really want to be responsible for wingless pegasi (also made up) running around?

Good Work: Under Construction!

He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete 

it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

Fact: He started it, but He's not done. :)
(Tell me you read that in Dwight Shrute's voice.)

This week is sort of an anniversary for me. Eight years since I had this little "cancer episode".

The BackStory: 
In Spring of 2005, it was discovered that I had a nodule on my thyroid gland. By the Lord's direction, we tested and tested and two surgeries later my thyroid gland was removed, along with the cancer that was growing on it. With some RAI (radioactive iodine) treatment and whole lot of prayers, the cancer was gone and I was free to go about my life with a Spouse, a four-year old, and a two-year old.

That was the year of the cancer, but also the year of the headache. And, I mean THE headache. All year. 11 months of one solid headache. I remember walking around the outlet mall one day with my praying, cooking, and cleaning friends and I said, "Hey, Y'all. Stop. I think my head isn't hurting!" I had to focus for a second because I wanted to be sure!

Let me tell you something, that was not an awesome time. But, it was. I got a front row seat to the show called "The Body of Christ Takes Care of Its Own". My people prayed incessantly and specifically. The headache was keeping me from sleeping, so my friends, Kay & Stephanie, called one another and prayed for me one night over the phone without my knowing. I slept. Jesus. My people showed up.  Spouse and my very best sister friend on this planet were the first faces I remember when I woke up from both surgeries. Meals came floating in to my house for three solid months. I sometimes watched as my laundry was folded, floors vacuumed, and dishes were put away. It was so weird, but I was grateful. And, when I was feeling good, they just showed up. I was going to be recovering on Easter, so my friends came for an Easter Egg Hunt at my house on a Thursday. A sweet young couple who had gone through a great deal of medical bills in the past dropped off $400. No joke. Young couple with two young boys at home. Not wealthy grandparent-types, either. Amazing. Only God compels that kind of sacrifice for your sister. My girls' birthdays were made great. A week after one of the surgeries, I tied a little scarf on and we had dinner with Cinderella & Prince Charming at Disney. Magical. It was something not easily forgotten when your people show up for you that way.

As far as the treatment, it wasn't much more than a little drama, really, and I was never scared. February to May and it was over. Surgeries were not great, but it wasn't terrible. The worst part was the radiation. I took a Radioactive Iodine pill that resulted in 5 days of isolation from everybody. I mean everyone. The nurses only came in my room once a day, wearing a lead vest and pointing a Geiger counter at me. Seriously. It was crazy. I was crazy. I had taken my trusty Beth Moore Bible Study materials with me, declaring it was going to be "Me, Beth, and Jesus." Whatever. I think I did one day of my Fruit of the Spirit Study. I was stir crazy. SANGUINE girl was alone. Isolated. Not really feeling well. I could see a Target outside my room window. Sigh. And, it was the weekend of the Runaway Bride from Georgia. Y'all remember her!? Lord, I'm sorry I didn't do my study, but I was nothing less than obsessed with that bride. She was the cutest thing. I did eventually complete all my homework. :)

Honestly, though, it was all pretty quick. I consider myself and my family on the receiving end of the gifts of early detection and a good life.

Gifts given by the One who gives perfect gifts for His own name's sake. Jesus.

The NowStory:
Follow up treatment includes taking a synthetic thyroid hormone every day and getting my TSH checked every 90 days. My TSH had been pretty stable for several years, but in November and every test since then my Thyroid has been off in one way or another. And, I have felt it. Suffice it to say I was livin' in a fog: there was not enough sleep to be had, inability to make a decision (me. no opinion. that's all.), just foggy. I'll not even mention the rest of the physical stuff, but to say there has been some physical stuff. Evidently, moving can be a major life stressor that can discombobulate your endocrine system. Yay. That's what I need. Discombobulation.

Then, about 2 weeks ago, my doc changed my Synthroid dosage. It was actually a little too high and as of 4 or 5 days ago, I am feeling brand new! Puh-raise the Lord! Seriously! I can make decisions all by myself! I have gone a good week without crying! *Happy Zumba Dance here.*

<<<<Note: I have mentioned before that silence on the part of this blogger is typically not a good sign. It's been a month since the last post, but I noticed today that I have 5 drafts. Fog brain couldn't even finish a post. Well, I'm over it. Brace yourselves. <--- That may be a little unnecessary hype, but I'm excited! >>>>

Also, since my doctors had different ideas about body scans and whatnot, I haven't had one since May 2005 (Hush. I know.)---well, now it's time. This week I begin to prepare for the scan on Friday. I will have an appointment of some sort each day of the week and stop taking the Synthroid. I am getting an injection called Thyrogen that allowed me to stay on the Synthroid longer and avoid the Low Iodine Diet (Which I unknowingly did for 4 days. Boo.) I've already had an ultrasound, which showed no thyroid tissue and I am not concerned in the least about this scan. Not a bit. Jesus peace.
My biggest concern was feeling better and I am. Now, I don't know how I will feel after 5 days off the medicine, but it sure is a lot better than the original 3 weeks off the medicine. :)

Here's the schedule, cause apparently, I can make decisions but have no boundaries:
Monday, Tuesday: Thyrogen injections. Wednesday: Radioactive Iodine pill (Not as high of a dosage as last time, so no isolation.) Thursday: Blood draw. Friday: Scan.

So, here I sit in a little camper while my family sleeps giving you, my five faithful readers, the longest status update in the history of Facebook. (I say "five" because I learned my friend Ricky reads. I used to say "four".) Those of you who get upset about mundane FB posts may never read my blog again! Ha! I am tempted to comment how boring this is must be for you, but I won't.
The God of the Universe began a work- a good work- and His work is never boring. With Jesus, it's a ride!

Thank y'all for being so patient with me and coming back to this little space on the interwebs.
I love it and I love you.
It is the coolest thing to me that you read this jazz.

The One that Rocked Our World.

This one. She's 10 today. 

She has rocked our world from Day 1. Probably yours, too, if you've met her. 

She's that kid. You know. The one. I don't know where she comes from.

Maddy Grace, 

The Jesus Force is strong in you, Sister. We can all see it. People tell often how cute you are, and that is so very true. But, you are more. 

You are radiant. It's Jesus. He radiates through your captivating personality, your smile, your fantastically blue eyes and that over-the-top dimple.

It's Jesus in you that captivates others so that you grab them. 

Grab them for Jesus.

It's Jesus in your smile that makes us soak up every bit of your wit and hilarity. 

Smile, they will, too.

It's Jesus in your eyes that make us pay attention to your wise and discerning little spirit. 

Discern, Sister, and stand strong in it. 

It's that Jesus-given dimple that makes us love the fierce negotiator in you. 

Negotiate. Debate. Do it. 

We'll give you practice until you can debate someone else.

I keep asking the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people... Ephesians 1:17-18

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- not of yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works so no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10

..The one who has been given much, much more will be required... Luke 12:48

You are my favorite rockstar. I love you more than sunshine. 

Definition of a Bum. Updated.

This post was originally published last year as the first guest post my Spouse wrote. Several readers have referred back to it on occasion, so I thought it was worth a repost.

_____________________________________________

While walking the streets of Downtown Houston it is not uncommon to encounter some of the many homeless who live on the streets in this city of more than four million people.  Melissa and I have found through conversations that they have names, stories, and life experiences.  

My girls and I have had extensive conversations about the love we can show to the homeless here in Houston: a conversation, a meal, or just acknowledging their existence.  

However, if I bring up the word “bum” my girls get a much different picture.

I often remember hearing people refer to homeless as “bums” when I was younger, but my definition is a little different than my dictionary app on my iPhone and this is what I teach my girls.   

“Bum”

-Noun

1.  Person who avoids work and sponges on others; loafer; idler

2. Over-enthusiast of a specific sport or recreational activity, especially one who gives it priority over work, family life, etc.

3.  An lazy, but able-bodied person

4.  A drunk

5. A selfish person

I want to make sure my girls and those in our college ministry understand 

what a bum looks like:

•       A bum is unwilling to support himself.  No job = bum.
•       A bum is too lazy to open the door for a woman.
•    A bum will put his physical desires ahead of what is best for a woman.
•       A bum leaves the trash can full of trash. Call me “old fashioned”, but a lazy man will have a woman taking out the trash and mowing the lawn.  I tell my girls, “You decide, do you see your mom having to do that?” ("Having" being operative word here.)
•       A bum spends a large portion of his time idle in front of a computer, television, or video game.   The IMB (International Mission Board) is sending more women than men into the harsh, dangerous areas of Africa because our 20 something boys refuse to put down the controller and become men.
•       A bum allows his hobbies or sports interests to consume his life. These things have or will become his idol and he will have no time to worship the true God or lead is family to worship.
•       A bum will allow family and work to take second seat to his ego and comfort.   A man who loves unselfishly will work whatever job it takes to support a family. 
•       A bum is incompetent in the handling of Scripture.  He cannot expect to lead biblically if he is illiterate himself.
•        A bum will allow alcohol to dilute his senses, leaving a woman to worry that he will not be in sober mind to both defend and protect her in any situation. 

Ladies,

·      Top three musts of a dateable man: 

• He must know and walk with Christ daily.
• He must have a drive to work and support his family no matter what that job may look like.
• He should be mentored by your dad or another strong Christian male figure in your life!    

God has a man for you, he is preparing his heart, but you will need to be patient in waiting on God.   Have men in your life, if not your father, that love you enough to identify a bum and believe them when they say it.

Paul described love best in 1 Corinthians 13 this way:

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, and 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…. Vs 4-7

When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reasoned like a child 

when I became a man, I did away with childish things.  Vs 11

A bum will look a lot like an overgrown child…

 mdh.

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Whew! Love it! I know there is somebody who needs this word!

This Is War.

                                                       

**Disclaimer: Adult-Only Post.**

If you are under the age of, say 18, show this to your momma right now.

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A few days ago, a friend and I were shopping with my girls when I spotted these gift books called "Porn for Women".
These are little gift books and coupon books depicting buff looking men doing household chores, changing diapers, cooking, etc. It looks like they've been around a while, but I'm just noticing.

All photos are copyrighted material by Cambridge Women's Pornography Cooperative. All credit goes to them and whatnot.

Sounds fab, right?! 

Listen, my Love Language is Acts of Service, so I can certainly appreciate the beauty of a man that knows how to handle a mop. I heart this. There are few things more lovely than my Spouse unloading a dishwasher or putting away laundry.

Now, the books in this series, as far as I can tell, are not pornographic in the sense that there is nudity other than the occasional male bare chest.

Still, let us define pornography, shall we?

Dictionary.Com defines pornography as "obscene writings, drawings, photographs, or the like, especially those having not artistic merit."

The New World Dictionary defines it a bit differently:
--n
1. writings, pictures, films, etc, designed to stimulate sexual excitement.
2. the production of such material.

"Designed to stimulate sexual excitement."

I get that these books are sort of tongue in cheek. I understand that they are for fun. The books depict men doing helpful household chores. These acts of service are encouraging, supportive, and helpful. Yay for encouraging, supporting and being helpful! It is essentially the nonchalant use of the word porn that I have such issue with.

According to the site Porn Harms,

America is suffering an untreated pandemic of harm from pornography. According to many studies, children and adults are developing life-long addictions to pornography; American children begin consuming hardcore pornography at an average age of 11 and act out what they see on siblings, neighbors, and friends; four out of five 16 year-olds regularly access pornography online; growing numbers of men in their twenties are developing “porn-induced sexual dysfunction;” girls consuming pornography are several times more likely to engage in group sex than those who do not; 56% of divorces now cite Internet pornography as a factor in the breakup of the marriage. More on harm can be found at PornHarmsResearch.com.

Make no mistake, we are at war with the porn industry. War. 

Books like this, seemingly harmless, just desensitize us to porn and we momentarily smile, maybe chuckle, and forget that pornography is destructive. I remember when my friend, Joy, first told me that the use of the words pimp and pimping as compliments was so dangerous. 

Pimps are slave-owners. They are criminals who beat, starve, and sell our brothers and sisters and we should have never allowed the phrase "pimp my ride" to fly. Pornography even  perpetuates the slave trade. We can't say that porn is helpful in relationships, but modern slavery is wrong. They work together. We can't let anything about pornography be fun or positive or anything less than an abomination.

We can't.
We no longer have the luxury of nonchalance when it comes to unhealthy sexual practices.
We no longer have the luxury of just shrugging things off as 'in fun'.
We no longer have the luxury or the right to 'lighten up'. (A phrase I detest, by the way.)

We need to call pornography what it is: a tool by your enemy and mine meant to destroy you and me, our families and children.

We are at war. This is a battle. This is how I fight it.

But you, Man of God, flee from all this, and pursue 
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, 

endurance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. 
Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called 

when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 

1 Timothy 6:11-12

2013 Goal Update

January 24th! What?!
I knew it had been too long (according to me) since I had blogged, but I didn't realize that I had not even posted an official blog in the year of 2013!

Gracious. My excuses are these:

• I've been focused on my 2013 Goals! Well, most of them. 
• We've been participating in a homeschool co-op called Friday School. 
• We had a most wonderful weekend with one of our first children, Jarrett, who is all grown up. He came to visit from Florida. 
• Then he left. So, naturally I was sad for a few days. I don't know if the airport drop-off will ever get easier. 
• Spouse had the flu. I didn't, but I was lazy with him.

Jarrett & me.

Family pic.

Two grown men. On a tandem bike. People gawked.

Uncle Jarrett and his girls.

I've got more excuses, I'm sure. So, it's 24 solid days into the January that I went straight up crazy and posted some goals for myself and my fam. Brilliant.

Here's how we're doing:

~~Twelve 5k's. I'm participating in 5k's for the next two Saturdays.  I'm pretty pumped to just get it started. I've run a few days over the last week or so. I was a bit bluesy for a couple of weeks, which matched our weather. Rainy and ridiculously cold.

I did this.

We are all working on our fitness.

~~Psalm 139. The girls and I are diligently reciting our Psalm 139 Scripture each day with one another. I'll type what I can from memory; you'll just have to trust me. :)

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. 

You know when I sit and when I rise, you perceive my thoughts from afar. 

You discern my going out and my lying down, you are familiar with all of my ways. 

Before a word is on my tongue, you, Lord, know it completely. 

I don't know how many verses that is, 4, I think.

Maddy & I drove over to the offices of Living Proof Ministries to pick up our very own, very cute 2013 Siesta Scripture Memory Spirals. My girls are doing their memory work as "Little Siestas". 

~~Scheduled school days. This is a biggie. We are doing it. And, it's good. The girls seem to be doing better, too. I hate to admit it, being as I have that emotional allergy to schedules and all. Here's the deal, it's good in that at the end of the week I'm not a basket case beating myself up over all that we didn't get to. I'm keeping better records. I feel accomplished and my little girls do, too. All the reasons I don't love it are selfish. There are some classes at the gym that I've had to forego because it's during school time. For those of you that have been scheduled forever or have a for-pay job are laughing at me right now, and go ahead. I can take it. Bottom line: we are doing it and it is working well.

La Clase de Espanol. :)

~~ Handwritten Notes. I've sent out several. More than one a week. Once I get out my cutesy little pens and the address book, I just feel like writing a few.

~~ Social Networking Hiatus. Let me extend an absolute appreciation for my sweet readers that have seen me on Twitter and Pinterest. You haven't called me out in shame. I deactivated my Facebook on January 1. I sat there for a solid hour debating it. Spouse has never fussed about my Facebooking, and in fact, has encouraged me in it. He has seen the positive reach that it has. It truly has been a positive thing for the most part. The negatives are, of course, the time sucker that it is. Also, that I couldn't seem to regulate it on my own, meaning just not log on. It just didn't work. I'm drawn to people and Facebook gets me a bunch of my people at once. I may elaborate on this later, but let me say that I am less homesick without it. (Notice I did not say "not homesick", just less.)
I've really appreciated those of you that have reached out in other ways just because you missed me. It's good to be missed. :)

I decided to blow off the 30 Twitterless days. Twitter is much less of a time leach and there are certain events in my life just compel me to tweet (i.e. Passion Conference, my new found love, Downton Abbey, and my wanna be family, the Bravermans.) I LOVE live tweeting. I crack myself up. There you have it. I'd failed on one of the goals before I even started. Bless.

I watched & tweeted every live session of the Passion Conference.
It was wonderful to watch from the warm couch with my hot cocoa, but also sad not to be there this year. 

Couple of random pics:

Meg at volleyball clinic.

My friend,  Sage. We were freezing. You'll notice the scarf.
This is my 2nd scarf ever. Both were bought in Houston. Nuts.

You know what happens with me, it's feast or famine. So, here's a post...that means there will be more shortly...then a drought again. Ha!

If you are on Facebook, and feel a nudge, go ahead a share this for me. :)