A Mighty Fortress...

Worship I never ever get tired of. And take note Heathahlee, should something tragic happen to me, and I die...please sing this at my funeral. Okay? :)

Beauty....

So, Fep and I have began our journey through her birthday book Uncompromising: A Heart Changed by Radical Love. The first chapter was on Beauty and all that encompasses including looks and weight. And I was very surprised at the conversation it spurred between Fep and I. I've known of her own insecurities with her looks, but I was surprised as she began to share with me of her friends insecurities as well. Cause good Christian girls should be confident in who they are in the Lord, right? Foolish my thinking. Good Christian girls are real girls.

It's not surprising that I have know and have known several adults, friends and family, that have succumbed to plastic surgery in some form or fashion. To be honest, I have my own struggles with body parts in this aging 41 year old body! I have to constantly remind myself of Proverbs 31:30. And I know. I know it's all vanity.

Where does it stop? When will our society's focus on beauty end? When we all, even us good Christians, start focusing on what true beauty is.

"Do not let your adorning be external-the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear-but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious."

1 Peter 3:3-4

"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

Proverbs 31:30

Thirteen....

The Bob calls an infant carrier/carseat a "baby basket". And it always makes me smile when I hear him say, "Fep, I can still remember the day we brought a little dark hair baby girl home in a baby basket!" Believe it or not she had head full of almost black hair when she was born. And today that little blonde haired girl turns 13. Today she turns 13? Really? It seems like just yesterday that we brought her home in a baby basket. All the time in between seems to have passed just that quickly...from yesterday to today. And I'll blink my eyes, and then she'll be 18. It hurts my Mom heart to see her grow up and away, and at the same time, I can't wait to see the woman that the LORD fashions her to be! Why is watching your children grow up so heart filling and so heartbreaking all at the same time?

She's changing so very fast. Her own thoughts, her own opinions, her own ideas. Sometimes I like her budding independence. Sometimes I want her to be 7 years old again. I miss the days of My Little Ponies that have now been replaced with with an iPod. She's in between really....one minute she's playing with Legos and the next minute she asks me at what age can she wear makeup? The makeup question...it blindsided me. So, over the next several and very short years, I hope to continue to expand on teaching that we started when she was just a little little girl. The purity book we've read since she was just a little girl was The Princess Kiss, and now she's ready for a "big girl" purity book, and we'll read over the course of the next several weeks Uncompromising: A Heart Changed by Radical Love. Purity, Modesty, Real Beauty, Biblical Womanhood... all so very lost in our society. I'm so grateful that she truly has a heart for the LORD and she will continue to embrace that teaching, I believe.

Today she turns 13. So, we will celebrate today with family and friends and gifts and cake. There will be lots of excitement and lots of laughter in this day. There will also be lots of love.....and to be honest there will be a corner of my heart that aches just a bit as I try to soak it all in......

Beach Blast!

I did not sign up to work VBS. I worked it last year and found myself extremely stressed by the time it took and not being able to take care of my responsibilities at my job or home. Mainly my job. So, this year I decided I wouldn't do it. I have had a year to learn how to handle working, homeschooling, keeping my home, etc., etc., but I thought I just don't want that stress again. Long story short...our children's pastor plugged me in and I couldn't say no because I knew he must really need help if he plugged me in before he actually talked to me. I determined not to be stressed cause it's only a week, right? I determined to have a good attitude, serve well, serve happy. I made the devotions led by the children's pastor before we began in the morning. And you know what? Attitude is everything. VBS blessed my socks off. My house is a wreck and dirty. My work didn't get done on this day. But tomorrow is Saturday and all that will be caught up tomorrow. Anyway, every single day my heart was touched by something that brought me to tears. At times, it was almost embarrassing cause I mean what adult cries at VBS? Today, I thought I had made it. A couple of things blessed my heart, but not to the point of tears. We were literally about to pull in my driveway when the following conversation happened:

Moose: Mom, you know the lady that always is helping Conner? ((Conner is autistic, and "that lady" is his Mom))

Me: Yeah. I know who she is.

Moose: Well, today at the end of Bible Class she thanked all of our class for being so kind and so open to Conner and treating him so well. She said never had any group of children treated him so kind before and accepted him. And she started crying.

Me: ((tears flood eyes, can barely talk)) Awwwwww. That is so sweet....

So, I didn't make it today. I got all misty and verklempt again. Moose is in 4th grade and was in the biggest class in VBS this year. They ran anywhere from 20-25 children, and 75% of them were boys. So, for a group of children to open their hearts to the "different" child....well, it still makes me misty.....

Oh, and Beach Blast! was our VBS theme this year :)