Guest Blogger

I read this yesterday and felt it so well summed up feelings that I have had that I would share it. What do you guys think?
http://gillispiefam.blogspot.com/2007/08/not-exactly-ethicsbut-still-on-my-heart.html

Catching up

We interrupt this deeply philosophical discussion to bring you this update from recent days. Stay tuned to the blog. Your regularly scheduled dose of Heather's overthinking, analytical brain dumps will return after these pcitures.

Fun at the lake with great friends!

Berny thoroughly enjoying his bagel and cream cheese.

G's face when he first saw his dirtbike.

Then came, the "how tough am I?" face. How cute is my little man????

Madi has learned to lope bare back.

The girls were SOOOO excited for their first day of school! Mommy cried and they had a blast. The cutting of the apron strings has begun ):
Wonder twin powers......ACTIVATE!

OK, I don't care who you are, this is just plain funny. (Don't worry people - it's root beer.) We recently recieved this picture of Skyline with her parents in Haiti. These are the moments we live for - healthy babies and families reunited!

Un-Blessed Thoughts part 1

http://manymanyblessings.blogspot.com/2007/06/suffering.html


Some of my thoughts on this have already been expressed in the above linked post. So, I will try to build on what was said there. My thoughts on this jump around quite a bit so hang in there with me.


First I will address the issue as it relates to Christians. I know some people think that once you become a follower of Christ that all your problems dissolve into a puddle on the floor and you walk off into the sunset together, but you and I both know that isn't the case. There is the walking together part although sometimes you head into the storm, not the sunset.

So, I guess the first thing that occurs to me is that the times in my life when things aren't going well are times when I seek God all the more. I seek Him for answers to the questions we all have. Why? For how long? For what greater good? Did I do something wrong? What are you trying to teach me? Those questions and many more race through my mind when things go bad in my life. But more than answers, I seek Him for comfort. I want to go sit at His feet and be reminded of the truths that I know. He is good. He loves me. He will never leave me or forsake me. I am then led to the realization that when I am suffering I am still so blessed! I have my saviour to love and comfort me. I have the hope of perfect eternity with him.

Next my thoughts turn again to the glorification of God. I spoke earlier of giving God the glory when I am blessed. The blessing holds little meaning if I don't use it to point others to Him. But what of the hard times? I suppose people could look at them and say that my God is not trustworthy. Jay has been in constant, and often agonizing pain since the Spring of 1999. I couldn't begin to guess the number of times we have asked God to take that pain away and heal him. I have struggled most of my life with bouts of depression that have nearly killed me. In fact at my lowest I have asked Him to take my life just so that the struggle against it could end. Has God healed Jay? No. Am I depression free? No. Is God able to heal us? Yes. So why doesn't He? One answer may be found in Matthew 9:1-5

So He got into the boat, crossed over and came to His own city. And behold they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you." And at once some of the scribes said within themsleves, "This man blasphemes!" But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say 'Your sins are forgiven you' or to say, 'Arise and walk'?"

Certainly Jesus could've walked up to the man and instantly healed his physical body (and if you read on you see that ultimately he does). We need only look back one chapter to know this. Jesus had been in the business of healing. But in this case He chooses a different road. I think it is interesting to note that verse 2 says, "seeing their faith". It feels to me as though since they had a certain amount of faith already Jesus felt they were ready for the next step. Sure, they knew the alphabet, but could they read? And so when He proclaims the mans sins forgiven what happens? Indignation. Yet had not Jesus given the man all he needed? In fact, if He had healed his legs and neglected to forgive him his sins wouldn't his plight have been just as pitiable. No, more so. So, in my lowest moments, knowing that I am forgiven and that God is with me is all I need. Now, getting back to God's glory. If others see me in a seemingly desperate situation and yet I have joy, God gets glory. If everything about my physical circumstance seems unbearable and yet I testify to the peace I have in resting in Him, God gets glory. If I am in the pits of depression and can do nothing but weep, yet acknowledge that this life is only a passing moment and I can still hope in the fact that one day I will shed this flawed body and be forever healed, God gets glory. And would He get the glory if my earthly, physical body were healed. Of course. But which is harder. To instantly heal me, or to be able to sustain me in the midst of my trial?

I am entering a state of rambling so I guess I will post this and save some thoughts for later.

Not feeling blessed?

OK, so now that we have covered all that ground my mind turns to those who are not feeling blessed. What meaning does suffering have in light of God's glory? Let's all ponder that for a while and I'll try to put my thoughts together on it for a later post.

My Answer

A couple of random thoughts first:

1. A spiritual lesson learned through parenting. (Seriously, how does anyone learn anything about God without having kids????) It hurts my feelings when I think my kids only want the "stuff" I can give them and not just me. For example if I leave for a trip and the last thing out of one of their mouths is, "will you bring me something?" I mean, I know it is a normal kid thing, but won't it be enough to just have the awesomeness of me back in your life?? (hehehe)


2. And another. I, as a Mom, cannot really be around my kids, enjoying their company, soaking in their every special little quirk and gift without showering them with hugs and kisses and the occassional chocolate chip cookie. The wonder of them causes me to love them with wreckless abandon. God has that kind of wild and passionate love for us. He delights in blessing us and watching us enjoy His presents and His presence. Forgive the silly word play.

But really it all boils down to this: (For me anyway)

Would the gifts of God really feel at all special or good without Him to thank? When I really stop to think about it, the gifts He gives are amazing only because they are from Him, not simply because they are. My blog is named Many Many Blessings because that is how I feel most of the time. My husband, my children, my life, are all gifts that I do not take for granted, but they would hold less meaning if they were just some random occurrence in a universe set adrift. I'm imagining the UPS man arriving at my door right now. I see the brown truck through the glass in the door and enjoy the anticipation of what wonderful package it could be. I open the door and he hands over a small box. I sign and rush inside to open it. Inside are the most beautiful diamond earrings I have ever seen. There is no card. No return address. Do I like the earrings? Yes. Would they hold more meaning if I knew who sent them? Yes. Would they hold the most meaning if I knew they were from Jay, the love of my life? ABSOLUTELY! So, next time I go out with my girlfriends I wear them and Stacy says, "AHHH, those are beautiful!"

"Thanks, they came in the mail."

"Oh, that's nice. Kind of weird and random, but nice."

OR...

Stacy, "Ahhh, those are beautiful!"

"Thanks, Jay gave them to me. Isn't he the best husband ever?"

"Girl, you are so lucky! Man, he sure does spoil you! Could you get him to talk to my husband?"
And this leads me to my next thought. The whole point of it all is to point those around us back to God. His gifts should cause us to praise Him which leads to His glorification. THAT is what makes the gift enjoyable. We get to brag on our God. We get to tell people how wonderful He is and how much He loves us. If Jay gave me the earrings and said I should keep them in the box and never wear them it would take all the joy out of bragging about having the best husband in the world!

So, this whole blog is really about bragging on God. He has abundantly blessed me and I did nothing to deserve any of it. He chose to love me when I was still bound and determined to sin against Him. He is the most gracious, loving saviour. His love is limitless and His wisdom is absolute, so His plans for me are perfect. I love Him. I would never, ever want to be outside His presence even if I were surrounded by all His presents. Again, sorry - I am a dufus when it comes to wording(:


Listen to Martyr's Song by Todd Agnew : http://free.napster.com/player/tracks/20878595

Song to help you ponder the question

Listen to If You Wanted Me by Todd Agnew : http://free.napster.com/player/tracks/20878590

Question...

Been reading "Desiring God" and last night read this question, "Would you want to go to Heaven if God were not there, only His gifts?" Don't answer quickly. Think about it. I have been. I'll give you my thoughts on it later (if you care).

Safe in Daddy's Grip

God is such a faithful teacher. I know when I am trying to teach my kids something I tend to get very frustrated if I have to explain it more than two or three times. Or if it is a behavioural or obedience issue I get more than frustrated. I get just plain mad. "How many times do I have to tell you..." I am so glad God is more patient, more loving, and more tenacious than I. There are also times when I am teaching my kids that I decide it is time to put away the workbooks. We need to do some exploring and discovering. We need to have a question and answer session. I need to show them and just let them watch and see how it is done. This is, I believe, where God has me right now. I may not have a pile of work(book pages) to show for it, but I am learning. I am watching my saviour. I am letting Him talk. He is letting me ask questions. I haven't had the thrill of accomplishment or the anticipation of going on assignment, but I have had the joy of feeling His presence. I have felt His enduring love and forgiveness. For some things I have become content to know that I don't know. I am at peace to just know that HE knows. How is it that being in the Lord's presence has, simultaneously, the ability to humble and lift me up? in His presence I feel amazed that He has chosen to love me and I ask Him - OFTEN!- why He would seek and save such a mess. And then I feel the Fatherly reassurance of His love, and the glory of that moment is so overpowering and mighty that I think I could accomplish anything for Him, and would be forever willing to try. I have no idea what is on the horizon. I am not in the mood to guess. I am perfectly at peace following my Teacher/Father/Saviour and grinning in the knowledge that it will be GOOD as only He can make it!

Listen to Who You Are (Recollection Album Version) (1998 Digital Remaster) by Nichole Nordeman : http://free.napster.com/player/tracks/19479627

13 Years!

This Saturday August 11th will mark 13 years that I have been married to the absolute best husband on the planet. It is hard for me to put into words the depth of love I have for this man. I met him when I was 13 years old on a youth group mission trip. I came home and wrote in my diary that I had met the boy I wanted to marry. It took him a few more years to come to the same conclusion about me! But on July 2nd 1993 he took me to the top of Lookout Mountain, TN (where we had sneakily first held hands five years earlier) and asked me to be his wife. On August 11th, 1994 at the naive age of almost 20 and 22 we pledged our love and devotion for better or worse. I thought it would be impossible for me to love Jay anymore than I did on that day, but as I have come to know him as a husband, a father to our children, and a man following hard after God, I have come to love him so much more deeply and intimately. He has earned my respect and devotion completely. Our love is a beautiful gift from God, and I am so grateful! I wouldn't want to be doing this thing called life with anyone else by my side. Jay, you make me want to fly...

Listen to Fly by Sara Groves : http://free.napster.com/player/tracks/13706101

Back To Life

Let me catch you up. Thursday night, July 26th I dropped Berny off with Vanessa and Friday we packed the van and headed to Williamsburg for vacation. My parents have a time share there and so we met spent the week with them, my sister, and her fiance. It was so wonderful, restful (in an exhausting sort of way) and fun. We saw colonial Williamsburg and the Jamestown colony. The kids enjoyed them more than I expected and Gespecially enjoyed talking to the guy making arrows and arrowheads. We spent two days at Busch Gardens and two days at Water Country. It was so fun. We rode roller coasters and water slides to our hearts content. It was one of those great memory making kind of vacations that we will all enjoy reminiscing about. The Saturday after we arrived we celebrated Jay's 35th birthday and D's 3rd. All in all it was a perfect week.





Then we got home. We arrived home to a washed out bridge due to a huge rain storm so the horses were stranded on one side of the pasture, a broken HVAC unit which meant our upstairs was around 100 degrees, and a possible flea infestation since the neighbor girl who was feeding the animals accidentally let the outside cat IN and she really enjoyed sleeping on squishy beds. Back to life, back to reality...
So, perhaps I will write more when I have recovered!