So now I am turning to the less "religious" and more human aspect of my life. My life is surrounded by Naked an Poopy kids! AAAHHHH! You may think that this is just a generalization, but no, they are really naked and poopy. My 2 year old has decided that she doesn't like clothes, and no matter what I put on her, she manages to get it off. And, if there is something a little squishy in her diaper to play with and smear all over - well that's just a bonus! I have been told by many - many people that she is most likely ready to potty train. Really Sherlock?! I hadn't picked up on that one, and I am trying but it isn't quite going as easily as you would think. However, unless I do absolutely nothing in a day but plant my eyes on her, she is bound to have her fun at some point.
In addition, my 4 year old has decided that if his sister is naked, well then he should be too! Nice logic, often after doing the dishes I go to check on them and find their little naked behinds running around and laughing! I have tried everything, spanking, time outs, loss of privilages - but nothing is working. I have actually printed out the application to Super Nanny and am moments from filling it out! Now my son has started pooping his pants again - 2 days in a row! I am not sure if he is having stomach issues (it isn't loose movements) or emotional, but he won't discuss it. Instead he tries to hide it! Yesterday he hid his underwear under the step stool and tried to tell me that the poop smeared all over the toilet was from his sister - even though he was standing their - brown handed! I don't get overly mad, I just asked him what is wrong or what happened, but he won't answer, he just changes the subject - AHHHHHHH!
I don't know what I was thinking having a 3rd! I am out of my friggin' mind. When I was at my OB appt. a few days ago and she asked me if I felt the baby moving. Yeah right I said, who has time to even notice that I am pregnant?! I know this is most likely normal, but it is abnormal for me and I am losing my mind!!!!!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Halloween
Ok, so I am just venting a little, but I am so tired of having Halloween cramed down my crawl! I choose not to celebrate it for what I feel are very valid reasons. I don't condemn or look down on anyone who does celebrate it b/c I feel that it is each persons personal decision. However, I do expect to be shown the same respect, but I am not!! It is rediculous that people actually get on my case or accuse me of being a mean parent or some kind of fanatic b/c I choose not to celebrate something I conseive to be against my beliefs. How amazing is it that we can dress up in Halloween costumes for work, but we can't say "Merry Christmas" - only Happy Holidays, so not to offend anyone. Why is it that it is Ok to offend Christians but not anyone else!! Anyways, Just for information purposes, I am going to list below, a totally unbiased account of the origins of Halloween as posted on the History Channels website.
Halloween's orgins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts celebrated their new year on November 1st, which marked the biginning of Winter that was often associated with human death. They believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On October 31st, they celebrated Sumhain, when it is believed the ghosts of the dead returned to the earth. The ghosts would cause trouble and damage crops, and also made it easier for the Druids (Celtic priests) to make predictions about the future.
To commemorate this, the Druide would build huge sacred bonfires where the people gathered to offer sacrafices to the Celtic deities. During the celebrations, they would wear costumes and attemped to tell each other's fortunes.
By A.D. 43, the Romans had conquered most of the Celtic Territory and combined 2 of their festivals with Sumhain. Feralia, when they commemorated the passing of the dead and Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The latter is how the apple was incorperated into the holiday.
By the 800s, Christianity had spread to the Celts and the Pope tried to replace the holiday by having All Saints' Day on Nov. 1st. This was also called All-hallows and so the Celts still celebrated the night before calling it Hallows eve and eventually Halloween.
The American tradition of "trick or treating" dates back to early England when during All Souls Day, poor citicens would beg for food and families would give them "soul cakes" in return for their promise to pray for the family's dead relatives. The church did this to encourage replacing the current practice of leaving food and wine for the roaming spirits.
The tradition of dressing in costume is both European and Celtic. Hundreds of years ago, winter was a time when food supplies ran low and the short winter days were full of worry b/c many people were afraid of the dark. People were afraid if they left their home on halloween after dark, they would encounter ghosts, so they would wear masks to avoid being recognized and trick the ghost into thinking they were one of them. To keep the ghosts away from their houses, people would place bowls of food outside to appease them and prevent the ghosts from entering.
By the way, American's spend an estimated $6.9 BILLION annually on Halloween, imagine if we used that money for something more useful. It is funny to me how on Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas we have all the charities to help the poor, where is that on halloween?
Halloween's orgins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts celebrated their new year on November 1st, which marked the biginning of Winter that was often associated with human death. They believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On October 31st, they celebrated Sumhain, when it is believed the ghosts of the dead returned to the earth. The ghosts would cause trouble and damage crops, and also made it easier for the Druids (Celtic priests) to make predictions about the future.
To commemorate this, the Druide would build huge sacred bonfires where the people gathered to offer sacrafices to the Celtic deities. During the celebrations, they would wear costumes and attemped to tell each other's fortunes.
By A.D. 43, the Romans had conquered most of the Celtic Territory and combined 2 of their festivals with Sumhain. Feralia, when they commemorated the passing of the dead and Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The latter is how the apple was incorperated into the holiday.
By the 800s, Christianity had spread to the Celts and the Pope tried to replace the holiday by having All Saints' Day on Nov. 1st. This was also called All-hallows and so the Celts still celebrated the night before calling it Hallows eve and eventually Halloween.
The American tradition of "trick or treating" dates back to early England when during All Souls Day, poor citicens would beg for food and families would give them "soul cakes" in return for their promise to pray for the family's dead relatives. The church did this to encourage replacing the current practice of leaving food and wine for the roaming spirits.
The tradition of dressing in costume is both European and Celtic. Hundreds of years ago, winter was a time when food supplies ran low and the short winter days were full of worry b/c many people were afraid of the dark. People were afraid if they left their home on halloween after dark, they would encounter ghosts, so they would wear masks to avoid being recognized and trick the ghost into thinking they were one of them. To keep the ghosts away from their houses, people would place bowls of food outside to appease them and prevent the ghosts from entering.
By the way, American's spend an estimated $6.9 BILLION annually on Halloween, imagine if we used that money for something more useful. It is funny to me how on Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas we have all the charities to help the poor, where is that on halloween?
Monday, August 13, 2007
August 13th, 2207
It has been a really long time since I sat in church and really felt genuinely convicted. Well, yesterday this was the case! I know that I am a little "extra emotional" right now, but it wasn't that. The message was about Living with a bigger vision and one of the questions was "in what areas have your focus in life, been on the temporary". How sad I thought, lately I think that all of my focus has been on the temporary. I mean I focus on my children's happiness, but I even do that with the wrong approach. If they want it, I buy it, but how is that going to help their spiritual well being? Maybe I have been so down lately b/c my focus is more on what I physically need and less on what I spiritually need. How can God use me and my gifts if my focus is not on them. In Luke 5 Christ called Simon Peter to drop everything and follow him. Am I willing to do the same? Would I give up my fancy mini-van with the DVD player to bless Christ? That is asking nothing, and yet it would be incredibly hard for me. I truly pray that God will deal with my heart because I can't take this stuff with me to heaven, but I can take my friend and my children. I am so thankful that God has opened my eyes and my heart to something that had become completely controlling to me. It comes down to what is important to me, my house or seeing my brother in heaven with me. I would give up everything I own to see the latter!
Friday, August 10, 2007
August 10, 2007
OK, so I am getting behind already - BUT, in my defence I have had a whirlwind couple of days. Alot of things are going on right now, and they are happy things, but things I just didn't expect to happen just yet. Because of this I am under alot of stress, but I remind myself that God will never give me anything that I can't handle.
Anyways, I was wondering what devotion to read today and I just happened to be reading in one of my devotional books and there was a devotion on hurting and I began to read it. It stated "There are times in the lives of all God' children when we are called on to suffer" and it quotes Romans 5:3-4 that "suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope". Hmmm, I had to pray about this one alot. And I don't really think that they are putting this the right way at all and it really began to bother me. I am not a theologian or anything like that, but they way this was worded almost sounded like this person believes that God calls us to suffer or wants us to suffer. I don't believe that completely. I do believe that we leave doors open that can allow the enemy to enter and cause us suffering and that God might not prevent it, but I don't think that he would WANT me to suffer. It is true that we learn from our suffering and from our mistakes, but what suffering is OK and what suffering is not? When I do something wrong and suffer for it, I have brought it upon myself and need to learn from my mistake. But when I am suffering for no reason - like when I had my miscarriage - what is the point behind that suffering? I certainly didn't do anything deserving of it, and I refuse to believe that God allowed that to happen to me for a reason, or to make me a better person. At what point is it God and at what point is it Satan?
I am so confused by this. I do know that God allowed Satan to cause suffering to Job, however I am pretty sure that it was more of an isolated incident. I guess I just need to keep praying on this one b/c I really don't have an answer to this one.
Anyways, I was wondering what devotion to read today and I just happened to be reading in one of my devotional books and there was a devotion on hurting and I began to read it. It stated "There are times in the lives of all God' children when we are called on to suffer" and it quotes Romans 5:3-4 that "suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope". Hmmm, I had to pray about this one alot. And I don't really think that they are putting this the right way at all and it really began to bother me. I am not a theologian or anything like that, but they way this was worded almost sounded like this person believes that God calls us to suffer or wants us to suffer. I don't believe that completely. I do believe that we leave doors open that can allow the enemy to enter and cause us suffering and that God might not prevent it, but I don't think that he would WANT me to suffer. It is true that we learn from our suffering and from our mistakes, but what suffering is OK and what suffering is not? When I do something wrong and suffer for it, I have brought it upon myself and need to learn from my mistake. But when I am suffering for no reason - like when I had my miscarriage - what is the point behind that suffering? I certainly didn't do anything deserving of it, and I refuse to believe that God allowed that to happen to me for a reason, or to make me a better person. At what point is it God and at what point is it Satan?
I am so confused by this. I do know that God allowed Satan to cause suffering to Job, however I am pretty sure that it was more of an isolated incident. I guess I just need to keep praying on this one b/c I really don't have an answer to this one.
Monday, August 6, 2007
My 1st devotion - August 6, 2007
Ok, so this is my 1st blog outside of my myspace page ramblings. I actually started this b/c I am horrible at remembering - or actually taking the time - to do my daily devotions. Lately I have been noticing that I am a lot more tense and irritable and I realized that I haven't been spending the time with God that I know I need to be. Sooo, here goes....
I have done a lot of reflecting since church yesterday, and this whole series that we have been doing has really gotten me thinking. We have been talking about "Walking Across the Room". And I have to admit that this is The hardest thing for me to do. People think I am outgoing, but I am exactly the opposite, I really have to force myself to push aside my fear and talk to people because I am so afraid of being rejected. Lately I have been looking at it in a different matter though. Am I am so afraid that someone will laugh at me that I am willing to let them go to hell? What is a the chance of rejection worth in the long run? How many friends have I cost myself, and how many souls have I failed to reach?
Pastor Konan said something that really stuck with me- "the closer we walk with Christ, the more people we should be influencing." Wow, what does that one little statement say about me. I have a hard time sharing my faith with my friends, let alone strangers. And what's worse is that I should be chomping at the bit to share with my friends, b/c don't I want to see them in Heaven too? In conclusion I am so thankful to God that he bestows grace and forgiveness to me and I repent for all the wasteful time I have spent worrying that people will reject what I have to share, b/c what I have to share is so important and so much bigger then me, that it is irresponsible of me to keep it to myself. If God was willing to give up his own son for me, shouldn't I be willing to give of myself for him?
Romans 8:32 - He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
I have done a lot of reflecting since church yesterday, and this whole series that we have been doing has really gotten me thinking. We have been talking about "Walking Across the Room". And I have to admit that this is The hardest thing for me to do. People think I am outgoing, but I am exactly the opposite, I really have to force myself to push aside my fear and talk to people because I am so afraid of being rejected. Lately I have been looking at it in a different matter though. Am I am so afraid that someone will laugh at me that I am willing to let them go to hell? What is a the chance of rejection worth in the long run? How many friends have I cost myself, and how many souls have I failed to reach?
Pastor Konan said something that really stuck with me- "the closer we walk with Christ, the more people we should be influencing." Wow, what does that one little statement say about me. I have a hard time sharing my faith with my friends, let alone strangers. And what's worse is that I should be chomping at the bit to share with my friends, b/c don't I want to see them in Heaven too? In conclusion I am so thankful to God that he bestows grace and forgiveness to me and I repent for all the wasteful time I have spent worrying that people will reject what I have to share, b/c what I have to share is so important and so much bigger then me, that it is irresponsible of me to keep it to myself. If God was willing to give up his own son for me, shouldn't I be willing to give of myself for him?
Romans 8:32 - He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
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