church softball isn't for wimps

as i watched my husband make stunning catch after stunning catch... and i myself, whiffed once and walked once... i was reminded again to be grateful for bodies that we can use. my team struggles, it seems, with staying pumped when we get down... and i am pretty sure they loathe my cheerful "hey guys.. it's a game" I hope they don't think i don't care, i'm just really really aware with "the big picture" right now.... but the lesson here for me is that sometimes, the "little picture" is important to others, so therefore needs to be taken seriously. i'll submit that my comments are all over the board right now, but i feel like i always need to have at least one clear point... hope this will do: life is good when you can watch your kids play together on the lawn and your husband tear it up on a ball field. i have no idea what the score was.

just say no ... i'll pray for you.

so, this week my kids are focusing on "just say no to drugs" in school. they have tied red ribbons, they have worn red shirts,
they have heard from their principal "just say no"... so, I wonder... will they? when it gets tough? when all the cool kids are doing it? when they are on their own, are they going to be able to really just say no? i think the parent's greatest tool is unquestionably prayer. nothing increases your prayerlife like a child... so, to all of us parents out there... be steadfast and longsuffering in our prayers, and ever watchful. if you ever see my kid on the verge of making the wrong choice, feel free to intervene. If i ever see your kid on the verge of making a bad choice, i promise you i will. we must all be ever vigilant as we protect our little people from the world around them.

perspective, baby

wow... so i'm thinking about life and how hard it is to be obedient, and diligent in growing my relationship with Christ, and i get an email from a friend who says "blog this! i'm in labor" she was six weeks early and her sac ruptured, fluid leaked, it was a mess, i tell ya... and they were concerned about infection.
sometime this afternoon davis james beard was born, weighing in at a hefty 5 lb. 7 oz. and infection free. the steroids they tried before birth didn't get the lungs quite ready for arrival so he is hanging out in an incubator while intubated in salt lake city... his parents are hopeful, but tired.
immediately, of course, i sent an email to my faithful praying friends... and then i thought about the honor and privilege that prayer is. this caused me to be a bit more aware of all the times even so far this morning, and afternoon of how many times i have prayed: praising him, asking him, thanking him, loving him. i hope that if you read this you will pray for baby davis, and you will remember to thank God for the privilege of coming to him.
I truly do not know what people do that do not have the freedom of life with Christ.

so, you say you're a stay at home mom

I guess the term stay-at-home-mom is about as oxymoronic as the 40-hour work week.
the more coined phrases i consider, the more i laugh aloud to myself...
but stay-at-home-mom might be the most absurd that i've ever heard...
there is essentially no such thing.
the SAH mom, we'll call her from now on, is never home. she fills up her gas tank 3 times a week, at least. she has changes of clothes for all seasons and all sizes in the back of her suv or minivan at all times. she is prepared at the drop of a hat to go... anywhere with anyone if it touches the life of her child. she spends virtually no time AT HOME, with the exception of the occasional day trip home to retrieve whatever may have been forgotten that morning in the mad dash to the carpool dropoff line...and then again at homework/dinner/bath time when she sweeps through the halls picking up various discarded debris littering the house in the form of dirty clothes, soccer cleats and portions of homework sheets.
the day winds down, she lovingly embraces the babies she guides through life, she kisses her husband with the passion of the newlywed years, and eventually becomes a true SAH mom... while she sleeps, until she wakes to start the whole stay-at-home thing all over again...
i think i'll go get ready for work....

blog? what's that?

in an effort to stay current... and able to communicate with the kids in our ministry... and in my home... i've decided to go "bloggy"

I will attempt to keep it interesting, honoring to God and family, and worth your time to read.

and away we go.....