Saturday, April 30, 2011

I Am New

This song means so much to me. I hope you listen to the words when you listen to the song-they are very powerful.

I Am New
by Jason Gray

Now I won't deny
The worst you could say about me
But I'm not defined
By mistakes that I've made
Because God says of me

I am not who I was
I am being remade
I am new
I am chosen and holy
And I'm dearly loved 

I am new
I am new

Who I thought I was
And who I thought I had to be
I had to give them both up
Cause neither were willing 
To ever believe

I am not who I was
I am being remade
I am new
I am chosen and holy
And I'm dearly loved 
I am new
I am new

Too long I have lived
In the shadows of shame
Believing that there
Was no way I could change
But the One who is making everything new
Doesn't see me the way that I do
He doesn't see me the way that I do

I am not who I was
I am being remade
I am new
I am chosen and holy
And I'm dearly loved 
I am new
I am new

I am not who I was 
I am being remade
I am new
Dead to the old man, I'm coming alive
I am new
I am new
I am new

Forgiven. Beloved.
Hidden in Christ.
Made in the image of the Giver of life
Righteous and holy
Reborn and remade
Accepted and worthy, this is our new name

Forgiven. Beloved.
Hidden in Christ.
Made in the image of the Giver of life
Righteous and holy
Reborn and remade
Accepted and worthy, this is our new name

This is who we are now...

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Boys faces.

Blonde and Brown, Blue and Green, diagonal and round...so different. Both beautiful.
Do you see similarities? I only see the chin or shape of the face...my Day and Night.

This is me.

(Click to view larger)

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Fun Things I Want to Accomplish

My friend k. inspired me to post on this:


Fun Things I want to Accomplish (no way could I ever say "top five" pssht)


1) Be fluent in at least one language (working on Spanish with the boys).

2) See my name on the binding of a book in a library.

3) Visit each of my siblings at their own home.

4) Go camping with the Bonners (never done that).

5) Go ice skating outdoors (maybe in Chicago?).

6) Go on a vacation and stop every time something interests us.

7) Have a really nice guest room that is regularly occupied.

8) Homeschool my children.

9) Go snorkeling with my parents.

10) Get to a place where it is so normal for me to wake up early that I couldn't possibly sleep in past 8 am.

What would you put on your list?

Monday, April 18, 2011

Out on the town

Thank you Ms. Patty and Ms. Carol for taking us to see the Toy Story show! We had so much fun!!
-Luke and Joel

Not so sneaky cooking

I wanted to share with you one of our favorite ways to eat broccoli! This is one of mine and the boys' favorite lunches. I box of mac and cheese, two hot dogs and a cup or two of chopped broccoli added to the boiling noodles a few minutes in, fix normally and voila!
YUMMY!

Cadbury Creme Eggs

I love this post by Jon Acuff about Creating Your Own "Love Languages"

He lists Cadbury Crème Eggs as one of his created love languages-crack me up. Of course I had to tell Aaron that I wanted to put that under my Love Language List too! And look at what he came home with!

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Christian marriage/ Unconditional Love

Considering conditional love: that thought of loving “If you love me back.”

We are commanded to love (Jn.15:17).  We are also told that “loving” someone isn’t enough-we must love them from the heart, and with actions (1 Jn. 3:18-19).  Or else we are not loving God (1 Jn. 4:20) or allowing God (who is in us) (who is love) to abide in us (1 Jn. 4:16). 
Talk about a spiritual gauge.  If I am struggling with love I am well below par.
Take that struggle within a marriage. To struggle with loving unconditionally one’s spouse-the one person I am to be committed to more than anyone or thing. My own flesh.
I am called to love an imperfect person who may not always love me back, act lovingly, or even be a lovely person.

Hmm-maybe we should trade out the traditional wedding vows for something more like this:
-Will you promise to- Love this person who may or may not act unloving and be, at times, very much an unlovely person-who may undermine or usurp your position?To respect and submit yourself to this person who may or may not be worthy of that respect-who may take advantage of your position?

-Will you vow to- Love, honor, and cherish this sinful, self-struggling, imperfect person who may or may not offer you the same love, honor or cherishing back?  In strength and in weakness-be it physical, emotional, spiritual or even weakness of character…accepting all their flaws and their imperfect human status, becoming one flesh with them?Til death, and nothing else-your choice or theirs, do you part?

I DO.

So it isn’t romantic, or ideal.  Maybe its not even reality for everyone, but I think it is real, not all of the time, hopefully not even most of the time, but real nonetheless. 
I wonder how many people would get divorced if their wedding vows resembled this?!
If we made that decision would we be surprised by the unlovely moments of marriage (and they do exist!)?  Would we be prepared to love our spouse 100%, no matter what percent they brought to the table?

What security would we have in that relationship, that marriage; when our spouse enters it knowing us to be weak, to be self-centered, knowing our struggles, flaws and imperfections yet commits to loving us and sharing a life with us, making a life with us anyway!
What gift could I offer of a love that is constant, based on me not on my spouse?  Based on my choice, not on their actions or reciprocal love.

Wait a second-that sounds like God and how He loves us.
Ahh…lightbulb.
Marriage is to be an image, or reflection of Christ and the Church (Eph. 5:32).
But I am not called to produce God’s love myself.  As if I could.  God will produce the fruit of love within me as a natural byproduct of my closeness with Him (Gal. 5:22).  God will love through me if I yield to the Holy Spirit.  God’s love is inside of me because God is in me, if I abide in Him His love is perfected in me (1 Jn. 4:12).

How different could my marriage be if I let God love my spouse through me?

Love

Love that Thou Are,
Near from a-far.
Love that Thou giv'd
Be it Love lived.
Love that art Thine,
That it be mine.
Love that did'st Be,
Be Love in me.
~me.

Monday, April 04, 2011

Hallelujah in Food Court

This is amazing. An image of heaven? Only then everyone will be singing!

Fighting battles

I am raising two boys, ages 4 and 2, and through the playing and learning and growing there is in the background the thought that these boys will grow to be men.  Not soon, but sooner than I think. 
 Training men.   Men who I pray will be strong in the their faith, in their character, in the Lord.  Able to withstand the little (and big) battles with the world and with themselves that will come their way. I pray that the Lord will be their strength! and that they will know that the battle is already won!

But...right now, we fight battles of another kind!

We've been watching alot of Robin Hood lately, can you tell?  (The "swords" are made from soft wrapping paper rolls.)  I am (apparently) the villain. LOL
(I apologize for the camera angle-consider it part of the experience!)

Saturday, April 02, 2011

Play Today

Luke built this tower with a curve in it!
 Joel put this train set together!
Learning through play! 

Sweetness

I opened their door to check on them before I went to bed and this is what I found:
Luke and Joel sharing Luke's bed, Luke read Joel to sleep and then went to sleep too! So cute!

These pictures are very important to me. Sometimes I need that reminder that they are friends and love each other after the toy stealing and fights they (yes, sometimes) have. Good for my heart.

Also! Notice the CUTE CUTE blankets they have, similar but not exactly the same baby blue Old-fashioned Pooh blankets?  My very talented sister Amanda made these and makes others! She sells pre-made and also made-to-order or "custom" quilts.  She makes for nurserys, but I've seen her go way beyond that.

  Check her out on her Facebook page: Baby Jenks Leelee.

Friday, April 01, 2011

Quote

Joel: "I'm stuck! I'm stuck!"
Luke: laughing
Joel: "It's not funny Luke."

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