Friday, June 29, 2007
Boys & Forts
What is it with boys and forts? Each day Mason and Eli confiscate every chair, couch cushion, blanket, comforter, etc. to make a huge fort in our living room. At first, I let them do this thinking they would tire of it after a few days. It's been more than a month now and they still find this activity highly exciting. The last few days have been a little different. They built a huge "playpen" for our cats. This consists of all of the afore mentioned items arranged in a large circle. A laundry hamper and a few play mice reside in the middle of the circle to tempt the cats. The cats enjoy the attention for a while and then decide they've had enough. The seriousness and teamwork of the boys while they are creating amazes me. I just can't bring myself to say no to this daily activity that is so much fun for them but makes my house look like it's been ransacked.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Faith
Streams in the Desert. The title of a wonderful devotional book given to me by my beloved Aunt Lynn. She is one of the most godly women I know and such a blessing to everyone who knows her. Yesterdays devotional on Faith really spoke to me so I wanted to share it here.
"I have prayed that your own faith may not fail." (Luke 22:32)
Christian, take good care of thy faith, for recollect that faith is the only means whereby thou canst obtain blessings. Prayer cannot draw down answers from God's throne except it be the earnest prayer of the man who believes.
Faith is the telegraphic wire which links earth to Heaven, on which God's messages of love fly so fast that before we call He answers, and while we are yet speaking He hears us. But if that telegraphic wire of faith be snapped, how can we obtain the promise?
Am I in trouble? I can obtain help for trouble by faith. Am I beaten about by the enemy? My soul on her dear Refuge leans by faith.
But take faith away, then in vain I call to God. There is no other road betwixt my soul and Heaven. Blockade the road, and how can I communicate with the Great King?
Faith links me with Divinity. Faith clothes me with the power of Jehovah. Faith insures every attribute of God in my defense. It helps me to defy the hosts of hell. It makes me march triumphant over the necks of my enemies. But without faith how can I receive anything from the Lord?
Oh, then, Christian, watch well thy faith. "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." ----- C.H. Spurgeon.
We boast of being so practical a people that we want to have a surer thing than faith. But did not Paul say that the promise was by FAITH that it might be SURE? (Romans 4:16) ---- Dan Crawford
Faith honors God; God honors faith.
"I have prayed that your own faith may not fail." (Luke 22:32)
Christian, take good care of thy faith, for recollect that faith is the only means whereby thou canst obtain blessings. Prayer cannot draw down answers from God's throne except it be the earnest prayer of the man who believes.
Faith is the telegraphic wire which links earth to Heaven, on which God's messages of love fly so fast that before we call He answers, and while we are yet speaking He hears us. But if that telegraphic wire of faith be snapped, how can we obtain the promise?
Am I in trouble? I can obtain help for trouble by faith. Am I beaten about by the enemy? My soul on her dear Refuge leans by faith.
But take faith away, then in vain I call to God. There is no other road betwixt my soul and Heaven. Blockade the road, and how can I communicate with the Great King?
Faith links me with Divinity. Faith clothes me with the power of Jehovah. Faith insures every attribute of God in my defense. It helps me to defy the hosts of hell. It makes me march triumphant over the necks of my enemies. But without faith how can I receive anything from the Lord?
Oh, then, Christian, watch well thy faith. "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." ----- C.H. Spurgeon.
We boast of being so practical a people that we want to have a surer thing than faith. But did not Paul say that the promise was by FAITH that it might be SURE? (Romans 4:16) ---- Dan Crawford
Faith honors God; God honors faith.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Swimsuit Shopping
What do I dread more than anything? What is it I would put above even childbirth (and I went non-medicated all three times) on my list of most painful things? Swimsuit shopping. YUK!!!!!!!! The 10% of women who don't dread it - runway models, victoria secret models, etc. - along with their airbrush artists, make it heck for the rest of us.
Maybe it's just me, but why is it swimsuit shopping, more than anything else, is such a blow to my self esteem. Is it because we live in a society where physical beauty is valued so highly? As a Christian I know that God looks at my heart, not my figure. Is it because I'm afraid others who see my much less than perfect body exposed will somehow think less of me? I don't know.
Why do we allow society to put such unreasonable physical standards on feminine beauty? The average size woman in the U.S. is a size 14. The average runway model is a size 0. I'm not sure, but I think print models are allow to be a little larger, maybe a 2 or 4. Why, why, why, don't we stand up to advertisers and demand real models for our clothing. I have no problem with presenting a nice look but when the standard for the perfect woman is a woman who starves herself to the point of serious physical problems, sometimes even death, then we as a society have crossed the line.
Why is it this strange phenomena does not affect men to the extent that it affects women?
The reason for this random post is that Laine and I have to go swimsuit shopping today. It is two weeks until our Florida vacation and neither of us has a suit, so we must go. I can promise you the day will not end well.
What frustrates me most is that even Laine, who, for those of you who have never seen her, has a figure that any woman would be glad to have (5'9" tall, 138 lbs, 39-27-41 - these figures will mean nothing to you men but women will understand) will end up in tears, saying that she is just going to wear shorts and a t-shirt. One year she actually shopped for boy's swim suit bottoms to wear with a swim top.
Well, off we go.
Maybe it's just me, but why is it swimsuit shopping, more than anything else, is such a blow to my self esteem. Is it because we live in a society where physical beauty is valued so highly? As a Christian I know that God looks at my heart, not my figure. Is it because I'm afraid others who see my much less than perfect body exposed will somehow think less of me? I don't know.
Why do we allow society to put such unreasonable physical standards on feminine beauty? The average size woman in the U.S. is a size 14. The average runway model is a size 0. I'm not sure, but I think print models are allow to be a little larger, maybe a 2 or 4. Why, why, why, don't we stand up to advertisers and demand real models for our clothing. I have no problem with presenting a nice look but when the standard for the perfect woman is a woman who starves herself to the point of serious physical problems, sometimes even death, then we as a society have crossed the line.
Why is it this strange phenomena does not affect men to the extent that it affects women?
The reason for this random post is that Laine and I have to go swimsuit shopping today. It is two weeks until our Florida vacation and neither of us has a suit, so we must go. I can promise you the day will not end well.
What frustrates me most is that even Laine, who, for those of you who have never seen her, has a figure that any woman would be glad to have (5'9" tall, 138 lbs, 39-27-41 - these figures will mean nothing to you men but women will understand) will end up in tears, saying that she is just going to wear shorts and a t-shirt. One year she actually shopped for boy's swim suit bottoms to wear with a swim top.
Well, off we go.
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