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I have been reading in 1st and 2nd Samuel about David.
The same David from one of our most loved and treasured stories, David and Goliath.
The more I read, the more this hero David from my childhood stories- seems -well, human.
He was a great leader, and wise and powerful king- with God's divine hand orchestrating everything.
However, David made some pretty bad choices.
One choice in particular, almost angers me, quite honestly. His son, Amnon, rapes his daughter, (Amnon's half sister) Tamar. David does nothing about it. His own children! His own daughter violated and her life ruined! So Absalom (Tamar's full brother) kills Amnon, and still David does not step in.
What kind of father is this?- I ask myself.
What kind of leader is this?!
And I found myself starting to judge him, see him as a bad leader, an incompetent and bad father. What a jerk! I start to think to myself. God revealed himself to me tonight in a beautiful and big way. I realized tonight by looking in Psalms that God loved David SO much! And David loved God! The love story is poured out in beautiful words for us in Psalms so that we may reflect on his love for us and His hand on our lives.
This David is the same David who has found favor in the Lord's eyes and heart. He played music for the king, he fought Goliath for Saul. He was a loyal servant to Saul. And God crowned David as King. So with God's hand and favor upon David, and with David seemingly in tune with God, how IS it that he MESSED up and missed the MARK! God reminded me that He takes sinners to glorify his name and kingdom. He uses the incompetent, the imperfect, human, sinful man.
Jesus himself came from the lineage of David, Jesse's son. David was a great leader. However, he made mistakes, even late in life. Even with all his faults, failures, shortcomings - God still used David.
Psalms reflect David's love for his God. And the scriptures reflect God's love for David. I think we should all look upon ourselves like a David. Lineage the opposite way, we, Gentiles, are grafted in and are heirs of the kingdom of God. And, just like David, we mess up. We fall short, and we fall...and there is God waiting for us to run back to Him so that we may receive His unconditional love and mercy, his forgiveness.
And God has a plan to use us. He wants to use us to be his hands, his feet, his light in this messy world. And He knows when we are going to fall and fall short of what He has called us to do- and still continues to write us in his plan.
That is so amazing to me. It humbles me. I am no greater than David. I have not been placed as a king or queen- nor have I killed any giants in the Lord's name. I fail, I make mistakes. I see the world, even stories in the BIBLE with my own eyes and not with His.
And yet, God still chooses to use me and still has a plan for my life so that my life may continue to bring Him glory. The unconditional, unchanging, promise-keeping love from our Maker. Knowing I will do things that is not glorifying Him such as in my marriage, as a mom, and God knew this all before time began, and he still gave me a wonderful husband and children. Because He loves us. Period. |
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Walter started doing harmless name calling the last week or so. Calling friends and even us, his parents, peanuthead...macaroni head.
I wondered if this harmless namecalling needed to stop. If it's all in fun, is it really a big deal?
Well, if the namecalling ever included an attitude of anger, or words that were harmful- then yes...it's really a big deal. So should we even allow him to tip toe through harmless namecalling? How do we explain the line between harmless and harmful name calling. I have come to the conclusion that it should stop all together. Why tiptoe through the beginnings of what could result in sin? Why entertain the practice of calling names- it will only get easier to do so when he gets older. And, I may add, it will eventually get easier and easier to get closer and closer to that line that separates harmful from harmless.
I spoke with his teacher today and she said they don't approve of their name calling- and apparently many of the 4 year old boys are doing it. I told her I was glad to hear that they don't approve and we will support that at home. No need to tiptoe through the terrain with a thin line. |
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| Okay, I'm finally back home and that's the best place to be on my days off after flying around the country. So I started my trip on tuesday and got in last night, that is Thursday. Our first day we had a celebrity on our flight from chicago to Las Vegas. If you all don't remember, think back to the movie "Overboard" with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. Remember the character Billy in the movie? Kurt Russells character's friend? the big guy with the big curly hair with his girlfriend Girty? Anyways, he was on our flight and he really is big and tall. So, the next day was pretty easy. Overnighted in San Antonio, very cold there. Oh yeah, we were in DC the first night which sucked cause the restaurant closed at 11 east coast time and we couldn't get food, so I boycotted them the next day and went to Taco Bell next door to the hotel and ate lunch. Thursday, our last day, was aweful. Our first flight from San Antonio to LA was horrible, course, it's LA for ya. This old, fat, mexican woman crapped all over the back restroom on the wall and on the toilet seat, even had it around the sink. I cleaned it all up, took 30 mins of the flight to do it. Totally lost my appetite for a day it was that gross. Well, got in last night and was stressed from the day. Had a few beers to relax at the apartment, and went to bed after a tough day. Got up today and got another blood sample drawn before my surgery on the 1st next month. Ok, gotta pay bills. I work again Tuesday. More to come. |
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| We should be praying over our houses and our families daily for protection. Our angels are at war, and Satan's minions will try at anything. Do we get too comfortable? We have it good in our country. We feel so safe. And we fall for this piece of deceit. We are safe, but only by the blood of Christ. But it still doesn't mean we should sit back and forget that there is a war going on all around us. And we help fight that war by praying for protection and for being in the Word. Prayer has significantly huge power. We try to explain this to Walter, our four year old. I'm not sure how much of this he understands, but he will. The sooner he understands spiritual warfare, the sooner and better he is equip to help battle it. Battling it for our humans means to recognize it, pray over it, and give it to the Lord. |
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| Yesterday we had a talk with Walter. He seems to be pushing, patting my breasts here of late. He did it yesterday to get my attention and we immediately told him that that's an area on people you are not allowed to touch, pat, whatever. This morning, Walter decided to draw my portrait. When he was finished, he called me over for my approval. At first glance, there were 3 sets of eyes. I asked about the 3 pairs of circles and Walter explains that the top pair were my eyes, the middle pair were my nose (nostrils) and the bottom pair were "those things" as he points to my breasts. So I decided it was time for Walter to know the anatomical name. Breasts, I tell him, those are Mommy's breasts. And so Walter becomes a boob man at the age of 4. "And this," Walter continues, this big thing is your nose...this is your nose, Mommy." Thanks, Walter. |
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| I went to the Music City Bowl game yesterday with Jeff and his dad.
The Florida State University Seminoles were playing the University of Kentucky Wildcats.
There were 11 starters on the Seminole team that were suspended due to cheating. Not only are they suspended for this game, but they are suspended for 4 games in the fall.
So if half the starters are out, one might think the ballgame is in the bag for KY. Even Vegas took it off.
But there are miracles that happen in Music City.
And there was something magical about that game.
Perhaps it was partly because Jeff and I are part of the Middle Tennessee Seminole Club, the "Nashville Noles" for short, and (the club) hosted FSU alumni with a Warchant party and a tailgate party.
Perhaps it was because I was out without my kids to a football game, and I LOVE watching football.
Or perhaps there was just something unexplainable about that day.
But there was something magical about this game.
We enter the stadium and I had no idea how many fans would show up with their team severely lacking!
The freshman rookies taking their first plays in college football were cheered on as heroes. Some of the helmets showed no tomahawks indicating a great play from the past.
The Marching Chiefs played anytime there was anything to cheer about...a first in ten...a defensive stop. My arm already had a workout by the end of the first quarter!
The mixed team of rookies and veterans played their hearts and guts out. I was so impressed with the way they worked together to get the job done. There were times I would watch #89 show rookie #16 Richardson were to go or what to do. He was teaching him even after the huddle and lining up! Learning as you play!
KY beat FSU, but the score was nothing like what the country thought it would be like. In fact, KY won only by one touchdown, and it very well could have gone into overtime had a hail mary been caught in the endzone. It was close!
It was obvious what the FSU fans thought of their team. As the garnet and gold boys left the field, they were not only applauded, they were cheered on with a tomahawk chop. The 'Noles may not have beaten them by looking at the scoreboard...but we won.
If anyone walked into that stadium at that moment, you would have thought the Seminoles won the game. That's how proudly the fans cheered their team and thanked them for what they did.
And I must say that for the whole game, the fans in blue were not very loud. A few times they did their cheering, but the outnumbered section of garnet and gold truly bleeds garnet and gold.
Way to go Seminoles!
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Here is one of our New Year's Resolutions as a family.
To keep the toilet seat and cover down when not in use.
Ever have one of those nights where you get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom... and you almost jump to the ceiling when your butt hits something extremely cold, you are in shock and then quickly disgusted when you realize the seat was on put down and you sat on the rim?
The rim with all the pee splishes and splashes on it from the males in your family! And it wakes every fiber in your body with disgust and anger!
Did the last male forget to put the seat down after peeing?
UGH! Yep, I HATE that!
And I realized something just the other day. I am not required to put my \"lid\" down. Why do toilet seats even have lids if we aren't going to use them? Perhaps we are the oddballs and everyone else in the world has this down.
But I wonder if I were to secretly walk in someone's bathroom unaware, would I stare into a toilet or at the lid? LET'S USE THE LID, PEOPLE....IT'S WHAT IT'S THERE FOR!! So after A- reminding Jeff, my husband, to put the seat down after using the toilet, and B-having this amazing discovery that there is a use for such a thing as a lid... I said to Jeff, \"I think from now on, let's remember to use the lid. Let's both try to remember to put the seat down.\" This treaty will not only prevent those gut wrenching potty visits, but they will help keep your \"potty area\" looking nice. Now cleaning it...that's another issue. Might want to come to a treaty on that as well. |
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