His Name

Our youngest son, Parker, is going through a big mama phase.  Don't laugh if you know him because the phase pretty much started when he was born.  I am sure he will eventually grow out of it and I will someday miss his little face at my side everywhere I go.  But for now......



The other morning I kept a tally.  Parker said "Mama" 68 times in the first hour he was awake.  Sixty. Eight.  I am not kidding.  Sometimes he is asking for something.  Sometimes he wants to tell me something.  Sometimes he just wants me to look at him.  Sometimes he doesn't seem to want anything at all, just to say my name and know that I am there.

Wonder what it would look like if the Lord kept tally on me?  Lord, I need....  Lord, I want....  Lord, will you...  Lord, can you...  Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord....  Hi.

Jesus.

His name is powerful.

"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."  Philippians 2:9-11   

His name sustains me. 

"And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father."  John 14:13

His name protects me. 

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe." Proverbs 18:10

His name saves me. 

"But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name."  John 20:31. 

How many times have I come to His name and let it carry me?  Sometimes I ask for something.  Sometimes I want to tell Him something.  Sometimes I just want Him to look on me.  Sometimes I don't want anything at all but to just say His name and know that He is there.

And He is.

 

XOXO....Kelly

Martha, Martha, Martha.....

I take pride in my home and the way it looks.  And you know what happens when you start to be prideful.....God sends a tennis racket flying through your window and gives your kids an entire Lego castle kingdom with 450million pieces.  Give or take.

It's really only been the last year that the boys have started to be a little destructive around here.  Not really even destructive so much as hurricane-like.  They are home 10 minutes from school and the living room is covered in shoes, toy guns and throw pillows.  How did that happen so fast?  It's definitely been a test in patience for me, and in balance.  Yes, I like the blankets folded, but perhaps I can put up with them in piles on the floor until the end of the day when we put everything back where it belongs.  Or sure, it's nice to have sand actually in the sandbox, but it's really not hurting anything piled up at the end of the slide. 

Lately I've been a little less than short on patience and a huge failure in the balance department.  The Mary and Martha story has been popping up in my head.  You know, the one where Jesus comes to have dinner at their house and Martha complains because Mary isn't helping and Jesus tells her to chill because Mary's chosen better. 

"Martha, Martha, the Lord answered, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken from her."  Luke 10:41

I hate the Mary and Martha story. 

I feel like Martha gets a bad rap.  What were they going to eat if Martha didn't cook something?  Well, I guess it was Jesus.  He probably could have whipped up some fish and bread.  And wine!!!

But in all seriousness, I don't think it was cooking and cleaning that got Martha into trouble and, as someone who takes pride in her own home, I'd like to set the record straight.  It's not the cooking and cleaning that get you.  It's the lack of joy that goes into it.

Being raised in the south, hospitality is an art form and a gift.  I have been in many homes where the food is cooked, the table is decorated and the bathrooms are clean.  And I've felt as welcome and relaxed as in my own home.  It's the feeling of being truly welcomed, like all the effort to prepare the house and feed you meant nothing compared to the joy of having you there.  I don't think it mattered that Martha was cooking and cleaning and Mary was not.  I think it was that Martha's spirit was devoid of the joy that should have accompanied a guest such as Jesus in her home. 

So I look around my own house and I make a new deal with myself.  If I cannot cook and cannot clean and cannot organize, decorate and renovate without a little joy in my heart then I shall not do it at all.  My husband works hard.  I will not groan to make sure he has clean towels.  My boys will only be little for so long.  I will not scream for the toys that ensure their childhood remains in tact as it should.  After all, Jesus isn't only a guest in our home.  He lives here, too.  And what else but joy can I have for that?

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 

1 Thessalonians 5:16

How to Replace a Broken Window

Not all home repairs require a skilled (and some time expensive) handyman.  Fixing a broken window is something you can easily tackle yourself.

Step 1--Google "how to fix a broken window."  The internet is full of helpful videos.  Watch a couple until you decide surely you can do this project on your own.  Then browse Pinterest for a while to decide which awesome home project you're going to do next once you get this window thing out of the way.

Step 2--Load up the children and drive to your local hardware store to get supplies.  You'll need a hardware store that also sells candy, sodas and ice cream 'cause that's what you need to get two small boys in and out of a hardware store. 

Step 3--Drive home with supplies.  Attempt to explain for the 14th time to your 4 year old why he can't have his popsicle in the car and must wait until he gets home.

Step 4--Get home.  Hand out ice cream and chips to the kids so they'll be occupied enough that you can start on the window. 

Step 5--Wearing safety glasses and gloves, remove any remaining glass in the frame.  Stop frequently to shoo away dogs and rinse off the dropped popsicles. 

Step 6--After the window frame is free of all glass and old adhesive, get out the new glass and discover it is 1/8 of an inch too big. 

Step 7--Load up the children for a second trip to the hardware store.  Drive through McDonald's for cheeseburgers since the popsicles and chips didn't really fill them up and this project has already taken 1 hour longer than you anticipated. 

Step 8--Arrive at hardware store and walk all the way to the glass cutting aisle again just as your four year old needs to go to the bathroom.  Walk all the way back to the bathroom.

Step 9--While waiting outside the bathroom have your 1 1/2 year old break your pane of glass.

Step 10--Acquire a new piece of glass, pay and get the heck home before anyone needs to pee again or break anything else.

Step 11--After all children are down for naps and quiet time set to work on the window again.  Spread new adhesive in the frame, set the glass in and set the trim around it.  Threaten all dogs and children within an inch of their lives should they mess with said window again. 

Step 12--Realize you never ate breakfast or lunch and might pass out.  Raid the candy basket for a handful of mini Snickers bars.  Yesssss...... 

See?  Piece of cake.  Why don't I attempt more home projects like this?  Do you know how much a handyman quoted me to fix the window?  $175.  Do you know how much the glass and adhesive ended up costing?  $9.  That's a savings of $166, which I'll later need for therapy and a good massage.  Still, it feels good to accomplish something.

How many times do we set out in our spiritual lives to do something we thought would be a breeze?  Join the choir?  Sure!  I did about a year ago.  I love to sing.  Ask me how many practices I've made?  Between the kids and Kevin's work schedule and everything else that comes up I average probably 1-2 a month.  The fact is, serving God would be really easy if all the other stuff wouldn't get in the way.  But then it's all the other stuff that reminds us why we need to do it in the first place.

Life is full of distraction, now more than ever.  Illness, HOME REPAIRS, school, work.  Doing the work yourself may take more time than you thought, be harder than you thought, seem like more trouble than you thought, but do it anyway!!  Because it's not about the money you save in the process.  It's that at the end of the day sitting back while someone else teaches your kids Sunday school class, takes meals to the elderly couple, organizes the egg hunt, serves as a greeter, etc., etc., etc. is doing NOTHING for you.  It's like watching Richard Simmons sweat to the oldies while you eat popcorn on the couch.  While you work outwardly, the Holy Spirit is working inwardly.

To quote the sermon in church this weekend, "what you do matters".  So do it.  Broken, distracted, tired, angry or just plain full of joy!!  In the name of Jesus Christ, do it. 

XOXO...Kelly

I hate technology.

I hate technology. 

 



I have broken some new technological ground for myself lately which includes joining Twitter and obtaining a smart phone.  Every time I do something new like this I think about the first time I had a cell phone and the first time we had a computer.  I was in high school.  We mostly played solitaire on it.  I'll spare you the "we didn't need all that stuff in my day" speech and just go ahead and say I don't think technology is inherently bad.  You can make a phone call almost anywhere you need to.  That's fantastic!  My washing machine has like a million settings.  But the amount of maintenance and repair that's been happening around here lately has me thinking.  When did all this stuff designed to serve our lives with efficiency became something we started to serve instead??

"What causes fights and quarrels among you?  Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."  James 4:1-3

The pressure to upgrade is everywhere.  Remember pagers?  A lot of my friends in high school had them.  Why??!!  None of them were doctors.  And have you seen how much a new car cost these days?  When Kevin and I bought our current minivan I wanted as basic a model as possible.  I wanted it paid off as quickly as possible and I didn't want to panic about what little boys were going to do to nice seats and all sorts of technology.  Kevin and I like to joke that we are going to drive the thing into the ground.  This van serves our needs.  Not our desires.   

People are smart and the world is full of lots of cool stuff.  But when it takes more effort and money to keep up a cell phone than it does to cook dinner I draw the line.  Maybe I'll look into one of those JitterBug phones they advertise on daytime television.  Or some homing pigeons.  Kevin loves birds... 

XOXO....Kelly

   



  

How to Run a Marathon (well...half of one)

Looking for something to do to keep active?  Running is a great way to stay in shape, set a fitness goal for yourself and determine which one of you is in better shape--you or your running partner.  Kevin and I ran the Armadillo Dash, a half marathon in College Station this weekend, which was my Christmas present to him.  If you're looking to sign up for something like this yourself, here are a few guidelines on what to expect during your race.

Mile 1--Don't be late.  We were late.  We had to speed walk from the truck to the starting line.  No time for stretching or pre-race meditation.  Now I am totally thrown off my game.  My muscles are tight, my head is all over the place. Why is everyone looking at me??!!  Is that a photographer?  This was a stupid Christmas present.  Next year he's totally getting some new pants.

Mile 2--Oh, good.  A port-a-potty.  That's better.

Mile 3--I've fallen into a comfortable pace.  All initial stiffness has worked its way out.  There's a slight drizzle falling from the sky.  It's not enough to really soak anything, but enough to keep me cool.  This is actually quite pleasant!

Mile 4--People are handing out Gatorade.  Yum!  Also, there's a group handing out beer and mimosas.  We did not partake, but these people have noticed the matching running outfits I bought for Kevin and I.  I knew they would be worth it!  We look awesome!

Mile 5--We are awesome!  Running is awesome!  This day is awesome!

Mile 6--Our family has appeared to cheer us on!  I could run forever fueled by nothing but my boys' sweet smiles!  And more Gatorade!  This cheering team is wearing fun and festive Hawaiian gear.  It's like being on vacation!  The awesomeness continues!

Mile 7--Oh crap.  A hill. 

Mile 8--The hill continues and they've placed another photographer at the top of it.  Who puts a photographer halfway through the run at the top of a hill??!!  This is stupid. 

Mile 9--Running back down the hill now.  This is much better.  My ankles are starting to get a little sore, but I am ignoring it.  Only 4 more miles to go.  Some lovely people are handing out more Gatorade and water.  God bless them.  God bless everyone!

Mile 10--A second appearance by family.  What a great pick up!  We're in the home stretch now!

Mile 11--Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!  Something in my knee and thigh has given way.  I am in pain!  Also, the course has turned to run parallel to the highway.  We are running up hill along the access road and there is a lot of traffic.  If I die here so many people will witness it.  Did someone just honk at me??

Mile 12--The pain continues.  Now I'm just mad.  Some people from a church are handing out gummy bears with their water and Gatorade and offering prayers of hope.  Forget the hope.  These had better be magic freaking gummy bears.

Mile 13--I'll be a monkey's uncle if I am going to cross the finish line walking.  The power of the magic gummy bears begins to take over and I am running again.  My foot hurts and I think it might fall off, but I am running!!  There's my family and there's the finish line.  We are done!!  They are handing out medals and water and more Gatorade and my children think we won something.  At this point it has started to rain.  I don't even care.  We are done!!

Ah, running.  I do think I like it now.  Maybe not enough to do another half marathon, but maybe so.  It's good to have a challenge, but then again most of us run a marathon everyday (well, not literally).  Some miles are good ones.  Some are uphill the entire way. 

Christ before me, the world behind me.  Head toward the cross, friends, because no matter what the miles are like in between, it is so sweet to finish.  It doesn't matter what tries to get in the way.  PUSH THROUGH. 

Is it money?  Is it appearance?  A relationship?  Your health?  Your job?  Your faith?

You are loved, friends.  PUSH THROUGH.

You are worthy.  PUSH THROUGH.

You are saved.  PUSH THROUGH.

Halfway between mile 8 and mile 9 I said the same prayer I've said a load of other times in my life.  "God, I know the only way is through this.  Get me through this!"  The screaming toddler fit, the pain of an injury, unpleasant confrontation, grief, madness, sadness.  You name it.  He pushes you through. 

"We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed" 2 Cor 4:8,9.  For "though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me." Psalm 138:7

You are loved, you are worthy, you are saved, friends.  Push through.

XOXO...Kelly



 

Nerf bullets and the Kingdom of God

Since the weather made a turn for the better we have been spending a lot of time outside, especially after school.  Our yard has been full of kids all the way from little Parker up to a few high school and junior high school students playing basketball.  I would be lying if I said I didn't love it.  It's nice for the boys to have company and for me to know where they are and it's awesome to know your neighbors.  It has me thinking a lot about what we've been talking about in church lately....taking the church beyond the building and growing the kingdom of God.

"You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven."  Matthew 5:14-16

St. Francis of Assisi said to preach the gospel at all times and, if necessary, use words.  I believe in God's worth, the Truth of Jesus, but if I speak with the tongues of angels but have not love I am nothing!!  Building God's kingdom is about the community we build in our own homes, not just with what happens behind the stained glass on Sunday morning. 

So if you're in the neighborhood and you'd like to stop by, please be clear about what to expect at my home. 

You will probably be hit with a Nerf bullet, football, basketball and/or pinecone.

If you say you're hungry you'll probably be given fruit snacks and/or Girl Scout cookies. 

Parker doesn't share well, but we're working on it.  In the meantime he screams a lot. 

If you get something out you'll have to pick it up.  No, not your mom who feels guilty for leaving me with a mess.  YOU.  You made the mess.

There will be no profanity and no disrespect.  Not for me, any other adult or any other child here.

Don't fuss at your mom in front of me.  I'll make you apologize.   
 
There will be no inappropriate television, movies or video games. 

Also, I hate sidewalk chalk. 

There will be grace, given as freely as we can manage it.

Mercy.

Love.

Christ's light shines around here.  We do not apologize for it.

As for me and my house, we serve the Lord.  And you are always welcome here.

XOXO....Kelly

Max.

We put our sweet lab, Maxine ("Max"), down to rest in peace on Friday.  I know lots of people say this about their animals, but she really was the best dog ever.  Exceptional.  Loyal, sweet, protective, completely trustworthy.  I can count on my hands the number of times she tore something up or disobeyed a command.  I believe God's spirit dwells in all of His creation.  She had an extra dose and we were blessed to have her.

"What may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made"  Romans 1:19-20

I remember asking the question in Bible study once, how do we know God exists?  We have His word, we have His spirit and we have His creation.  The majesty of a sunset.  The power of the rushing ocean.  Pine tree branches that point upward in the shape of a cross in the spring.  Even the shape of DNA is the shape of the cross.  We debate endlessly to reconcile the differences between science and religion, but to live and breathe among these daily miracles....how could they not be the work of a Master Creator?  Does He not hold even science in His hands?

Thank you, God, for the daily assurances you give us of your power, your sovereignty and your love.  Thank you for Max.  When I think of her I know I can not ever doubt your goodness.  Lord, I praise you for the blessing of all that is in your creation and ask that you would open our eyes, that we would see you always in all that is around us.  Amen.

XOXO....Kelly