October 30, 2008

I just read some of Romans 8 in my quiet time and was reminded of this great truth: Christ has taken all of the condemnation that I deserved upon himself at the cross. There isn't any condemnation left for me! Jesus has all ready been condemned in my place. Even though I deserve the full penalty for my sins (God's justified wrath, condemnation, and eternal punishment), I will never know any of that because Jesus took that all upon himself.

He took my condemnation and now I know peace with God. What a beautiful mystery!

Oh Lord, help this great truth fill my heart with joy today and help me remember it as I'm changing diapers and folding clothes today!

Papa and the Bear

October 23, 2008


Tali is totally into stories. When Owen was born, I was desperate for some activities to do with her while I nursed so I started telling her stories. Being the abnormal child that she is, she was an avid listener even at 13 months old, and remembered EVERY story that I told her (thankfully one of us did). Sometimes I make up the stories, sometimes I tell her true ones. Tali especially enjoys the stories that I tell her about "Mommy and her cousin, Meghan" and "When Papa was a little boy...". She recently started coming up with her own stories. This is one that she told my mom and me today during lunch:

"Once sp-on a time dare wuz a yiddle boy name Papa. One day, Papa win into da woods an Papa hear a BID noy-s. It sown yike dis, 'RAHR! RAHR! RAHR!' It wuz a bear. An da bear tittle Papa! An Papa yaffed!"
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Pumpkin Patch Fun

October 21, 2008

Fun times at the pumpkin patch!













Is One Issue That Important?

October 16, 2008


This is a picture of Tali taken a couple of months before she was born. I shudder to think that in the name of a"woman's right to choose," babies even older than she was in this picture are being aborted.

We watched a bit of the debate last night. Obama's eloquence always captures me for a while...he's just plain fun to listen to; he knows how to get you fired up about change and it's pretty clear that America needs change.

I've heard some people say that they wouldn't "not vote for someone simply based on one issue." If you've wondered, like I have, how to think about that, please read the following from Dr. Albert Mohler's blog:

"Some argue that the sanctity of life issue is simply one among many important issues. Without doubt, we are faced with many urgent and important issues. Nevertheless, every voter must come to terms with what issues matter most in the electoral decision. At some point, every voter is a potential 'single issue' voter. Some issues simply eclipse others.

This is the case with the sanctity of human life. I can understand the fatigue. So little progress seems to have been made. So much ground has been lost. So many unborn babies have been aborted. The culture has turned increasingly hostile to this commitment, especially among the young. There is a sense that many want to get on with other issues."


He goes on to say the following:


"Yet, there is the reality that we face a choice. This is a limited choice. And we cannot evade responsibility for the question of abortion. Our vote will determine whether millions of unborn babies live or die. The Freedom of Choice Act, if passed, would lead directly to a radical increase in the numbers of abortions. The abortion industry has told us that themselves.


The question comes down to this: How many lives are we willing to forfeit -- to write off as expendable -- in order to "move on" to other issues of concern? There is no way to avoid that question and remain morally serious. The voting booth is no place to hide."

A Reason to Smile

October 15, 2008


Need a reason to smile right now? One look at this little guy should do the trick! Isn't he just adorable?!

God's Absolutely Unique Love

October 14, 2008

After growing discouraged about seeing so many areas in need of growth in my life, Josh kindly helped me see that I've not been viewing my sin in light of the cross.  When I'm looking at myself through the lens of the cross, there is so much hope and joy and peace. When I look at my sin through the lens of the cross, I can rejoice in knowing that Jesus has paid the penalty for my sins and I can have hope that He'll change me.  So, at the suggestion of my husband, I've been trying to immerse myself in cross centered books and started studying Romans.  Stott's commentary of Romans has been particularly helpful for me.  I've been so encouraged by the quote below, that talks about the unique depth of God's love for His children.

"...the degree of love is measured partly by the costliness of the gift to the giver, and partly by the worthiness or unworthiness of the beneficiary.  The more the gift costs the giver, and the less the recipient deserves it, the greater the love is seen to be.  Measured by these standards, God's love in Christ is absolutely unique.  For in sending His Son to die for sinners, He was giving everything, His very self, to those who deserved nothing from Him except judgement."

What amazing love!  What a reason to thank God for the cross!  I deserved judgement and wrath because of my sin, but in His love for me, God poured out that wrath and judgement on Christ instead.  There is much reason to hope in God today!

Don't Miss This!!

October 9, 2008

TrueWoman08: Now is the time

In the midst of grocery shopping, changing diapers, doing laundry, and countless other things, I rarely stop to ask, "What has God really called me to as a woman?" How can I reflect His character in this unique role that He has called me to? These are essential questions that I must think about if I'm going to be intentional about glorifying God and obeying His commands.

Right now, "The True Woman Conference" is about to begin. They will be biblically addressing what it means to beautifully display God's design for us as women. While I won't be there in person, I'm so excited to be able to benefit from their live feed. I need to hear truth from God's Word so that I can grow here. I need to help to be a wife/mom/daughter/friend that displays the glory of the Gospel through biblical femininity. On my own, I just want to selfishly do what I want, the way that I want without giving thought to God's perfect design for me as a woman. Can I encourage you to check out this website and consider listening/watching some of the messages? http://www.truewoman.com

Tali's New Favorite Drink

October 6, 2008


Today I decided to give myself the gift of some Starbucks. This is somewhat monumental because I haven't had anything there (aside from tea) since I went on this crazy food restriction diet for Owen. Now that I've added back in soy and dairy, I thought I needed to celebrate. So, Tali and I went to the Starbucks drive-through. Here's what she said on the way there, even before she'd had a taste of my soy hot chocolate (with only one pump of chocolate, mind you):

"Ooh! I lub Sar-bus! Sar-bus id sooo yummy! I yike Sar-bus! Tah-yee say, 'Mommy, tin I hab sum Sar-bus?' Mommy say, 'Sir, Tahwee, dust a widdle bit. Ya mite yike it, Tahwee.' "

Poor girl. I mean, does she really have any chance but to love the place when her father is known there by name?

Life

October 3, 2008

Recently Josh & I watched the haunting, stunning movie, "Bella." I'm not sure a day has passed since I've viewed it that my mind has not gone back to the movie. My heart continues to be stirred by what I saw and by the reminder that life hangs in the balance for thousands of babies each and every day as their mothers contemplate what "choice" to make. If you've not seen it, it is worth the watch. (And no, it's not for kids.)

Then, today, I hopped over to Carolyn McCulley's blog and watched this excellent testimony. I know that time is short but it's worth the watch. I was especially struck by this, "But I wonder if my own children will one day ask me, 'Daddy, what did you do about abortion when a third of your generation was being slaughtered?'"

I don't know exactly what God will call me to do about this...but today I know that I can pray for Him to intervene and to save lives. Not only can I pray, I must pray. Will you join me?

My Happy Boy


It's been quite a while since I've given an update on my sweet boy. He will be a whoppin' 10 months old on October 17th. I can't believe it!!! The fact that he is almost one just seems unreal. Where has the time gone?

Owen is such a sweet guy. His smile is so big and so frequent; he's almost always smiling. He really has a very sweet personality; he is farily quiet (hard not to be with Miss Gabberjaws around), loves to be held, thinks his sister is hillarious, and loves to be read to. I just love hanging out with him!

He's weighing in at 18 pounds so he's just barely making it to the 10th percentile for weight. He's healthy though, and that's all that really matters! His reflux is still there and we're very grateful for a home with hardwood floors so that cleaning up the spit-up isn't a big deal. Even though he's still puking a lot, it's not hurting him very much anymore so that's a blessing. Our pediatrician said that once he learns to pull up, his muscles should strengthen and things should get better. We'll see. For now, I'm still not eating anything containing wheat, corn, or tomatoes. I'm taking him to an allergist at the end of the month so maybe I'll have more info after that.

Owey is doing the army-crawl all over the place, especially moving fast towards Tali's toys. He eats lots of fruits and veggies and loves maple teething biscuits. He can go from crawling to sitting, can stand with assistance, and just started to "dance." We've been working on signing; he understands "milk," "eat" and "more." I think he's starting to sign "more" but I'm not positive on that. He does love waving "hi" and "bye" and claps all the time.

We thank God for Owen!
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