Venture a guess?

Yesterday Hope asked us if she died before she was a grown-up (Actually her words were, "If I get killed before I'm a grown-up" but she meant if she dies) would she keep growing up to be a grown-up in Heaven. Wow! What a question from a four year old.

more quotes

Here are some more really good quotes from Phillip Yancey's Reaching the Invisible God

Quote 2 - "Creatures of flesh and blood, we lose patience with anything that does not manifest itself on our terms."

I am guilty of pulling away from God when I come to a place in my spiritual walk where I really don't understand Him, or I am frightened by what I have discovered about Him.

Quote 3 - "The modern world honors intelligence, good looks, confidence, and sophistication. God, apparently, does not. To accomplish his work God often relies on simple, uneducated people who don't know any better than to trust him, and through them wonders happen."

I LOVE THIS!!!!!! PERIOD!!!!

Quote 4 - "Doubt always coexists with faith, for in the presence of certainty who would need faith at all"

When I was pregnant with Camden I had some difficulties early on in my pregnancy. For the first 14 weeks I had a 50/50 chance of losing my baby. I was attending CFNI at the time and taking a class and attending a life group where the teacher and the life group leaders believed that if you have enough faith you will be healed - no question. I wrestled with what exactly my beliefs were on faith. I knew that if they were correct and I lost my baby the fault would be fine - because I for sure had a load of doubt and fear. I learned alot from those 14 weeks. What I felt like was the hardest weeks of my life, I am now so grateful for. For a number of reasons, one being that I learned that faith is a journey. A journey of hope and journey of believing God's promises, a journey of knowing that his thoughts and his ways surpass any understanding that I will ever have on this earth, and a journey of knowing that God is everything to me. Even if God had taken Camden to Heaven before we met Him, what would there have been for us except still.......God.

Quote 5 - "Without somehow destroying me in the process, how could God reveal himself in a way that would leave no room for doubt? If there were no room for doubt, there would be no room for me."

No comment here - I just thought it was a quote I wanted to mull over....

Book Review 2

I just started another book today by Phillip Yancey. Phillip Yancey wrote one of my most favorite books Whats so Amazing about Grace. This one is called Reaching for the Invisible God. I have only read a couple of chapters, but I want to comment on a couple of quotes that I don't want to forget.

Quote 1 - "If you find God with great ease, perhaps its not God that you have found."

If you read my blog below you will know that this speaks to my quest I am on this year. A quest to know the magnificent part of God. Right now our Pastor is preaching a sermon series on The Holy Spirit - Our Best Friend. He is showing our church that the Holy Spirit is our comforter, our companion, and someone we can commune with all day long. I know that this is a fact because the Holy Spirit does commune with me. For instance yesterday, I woke up to find Blake already at work. I felt a little sad at first because he hadn't woke me up before he left to tell me Happy Birthday and without a doubt in my heart I know the Holy Spirit spoke to me. He said, "Happy Birthday and I am the first to tell you." I fell back to sleep with a smile on my face. What a gift!! So far Phillip Yancey seems to come across as skeptical about this kind of relationship with God. I believe God is reachable through the Holy Spirit. Jesus walked and talked, and touched people and He was God. Pastor Robert said yesterday that Jesus said sending the Holy Spirit would be better that having him on the earth. Why? Because we can each walk and talk with the Holy Spirit - each of us that has surrendered our life to God can have God with us. But there is the God possibly God the Father(?), that walked past Moses and covered his eyes so that He would not die from looking at Him. I know I am not in a place for that much of God to walk past me, but I want to get closer and I feel strongly that it won't be "with great ease."

Gotta go make dinner so I'll try to post a couple of more quotes tonight.

Book Review

I just finished an updated edited version of the book In His Steps written by Charles Sheldon in 1896. It was about a group of Christians that took a vow that for a year they would ask themselves, "What would Jesus do?" before every decision. After arriving at what they believed Jesus would do in each situation they would respond in that exact way no matter what that would mean to their comfort, reputation, or future success. It was a very thought provoking book to read. I am going to try to give a more in-depth review at a later time mostly for my own benefit. I don't want to forget the questions this book has stirred in my heart. I want to be a seeker this year. I am convinced that God wants to reveal more of himself to me, but He is not going to make it easy for me. And I'm glad. And I hope that I am ready because I am going to start searching for Him and stop living off of my past encounters with Him. The quote from C S Lewis also comes to mind, "God is not safe but He is good." I feel that this part of himself that He wants to show me is not the "Jesus is my best friend" part of Him. It is the part of Him that make us willingly plead with Him like Isaiah, "Take a coal and cleanse my lips." The Holy God that we don't slap on the back but instead fall flat on the floor in something close to terror. I'm not exactly sure how to search, but I know I need to filter some things out of my life and make my mind and heart a better "home" for the Holy Spirit. I need to give Him more time to reveal Himself. I need to check my heart regularly and make sure the Lord continues to see in me a hunger for Him and not fullness from everything else I have filled myself with. My worry is that I won't succeed. I'll find myself next year still in this same place wondering what would happen if I start really searching for more of God. "God, don't let me give up".....dare I pray that?

New Years Resolutions

1. Lose 10 pounds. I gained ten pounds a little over two years ago the three months that the kids and I lived with my in-laws while our house was being built. Just thinking about that last month living in Lufkin, makes me want to down a dozen doughnuts on the spot. Maybe I just need deliverance.

2. Write one song a month. This one is a joint resolution with Blake. Even if they are so bad, we will never sing/play them for anyone else - we're gonna do it!

3. Not get pregnant - this is actually an on-going life-long resolution

something about me you might not know

It makes me want to gag when the weather people on the news say the air is "soupy" when they are talking about the humidity. Ughh. Shudder

Sassy and Smarty

This morning I was putting sheets on the bed and Hope came in and said, "Why did you not bring me water last night like I asked?" I said to her, "When Daddy checked on you, you were already asleep so I decided not to bring you any." She said, "Well, I could have woke up and been thirsty." I said, "Ok, I'll remember that next time." Then she said to me, "Well you need to learn your manners." I said, "Well you need to watch your mouth." (while I tried my best not to laugh)

We were in the bathroom at the library and Hope came out of her stall and let out a loud burp. I looked at her sternly and said, "Hope!" She said, "What, you didn't know young ladies could burp?" (no comment from me as I again...tried my best not to laugh)

On the way home in the car this afternoon I was teaching the kids what groups of animals were called: fish - school, cows - herd, birds - flock, ect.... and then I was asking them what baby animals were called: cats - kittens, sheep -lambs, bears - cubs ect... and then I said, "What do you think a baby snake is called?" Hope said, "A snakelet" I said, "What do you think, Camden?" He said, "A hissy?" I can't decide which is my favorite....