What should our baby name be?

Ok, so one tired pup and three pregnancy tests later, it is official!!! WE ARE PREGNANT!

So, what should our names be for a boy or girl? Give us some suggestions. We love weird, totally unique and hippy names!!! Go for it, let's hear it!!!!

A Hormonal Heart-to-Heart!!!

Get ready ladies... What I am about to share with you is the inevitable, predictable, never-ending most annoying PMS. Oh yes... This week, I must confess I have been overwhelmingly angry!!! My emotions have been like a ticking time bomb! At any moment anything that doesn't meet my expectation is met with rage in my heart! My poor husband has been trying to endure this illness of mine (if I can call it that). He has been so kind to forgive and overlook! But, for me, this is not the case!

I woke up this morning so thankful and happy to be with my husband, but at the same time, I could feel my heart growing cold. I started praying right away (or not so right away), that the Lord would help me love today! I must admit that sweet victory comes right now only in that I have been rescued from my sin (more on that to come).

But, I want to share with you a few things that I myself need to hear!

1. Don't take your temp!

"On a normal day we should be careful not to spend excessive time analyzing our feelings. But on a PMS day, such self-examination is most unhelpful. If we try to “take our spiritual temperature” when our hormones are raging, the reading will most certainly be inaccurate. And we run the risk of compounding our discouragement and despair." Girl Talk Blog

2. Be wise and Pray

I got the helpful hint that I need to start keeping track of my monthly cycle so that I can ready myself for this difficult time! I began this morning asking God to help me in this!!!

"Proverbs 22:3: “The prudent [woman] sees danger and hides [herself], but the simple [women] go on and suffer for it.”

3. You are not alone

"THIS IS NORMAL." Yes, it’s common. As it says in 1 Corinthians 10:13:“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.” These hormonal challenges are a temptation—not an excuse to sin, mind you—but a significant temptation to be sure. And we are not alone in this struggle...The Lord allows this and He will grant all of the grace needed to endure. In fact, that’s exactly what 1 Corinthians 10:13 goes on to promise: “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” Our Lord does not stick us in the middle of hormonal craziness and leave us alone to find our way out of the maze. No, He graciously provides a way of escape so we can endure it. He provides a way of escape so we can rejoice in Him (even when it’s the last thing we feel like doing). " Girl Talk Blog

4. Truth is not an emotional stimulus!

"“Avoid the mistake of concentrating overmuch on your feelings...Above all, avoid the terrible error of making them central. If you put them there you are of necessity doomed to be unhappy because you are not following the order that God himself has ordained...After all, what we have in the Bible is Truth; it is not an emotional stimulus, it is not something primarily concerned to give us a joyful experience. It is primarily Truth, and Truth is addressed to the mind, God’s supreme gift to man; and it is as we apprehend and submit ourselves to truth that the feelings follow.” D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

5. WE ARE RESCUED!!!

Rejoice for God has rescued us from a life where sin reigns free! Because Christ, who had no sin, became sin our behalf, died in our place, took God's wrath that was meant for us to punish our sin! Christ died in our place! He took my sin on him! "Now, all I know is grace!" Now, even in my weakest moment, even in my darkest hour, God is working in my life for my good and his glory. God is not punishing me! God is not tempting me! He is growing me! Sanctifying me! Loving me! Now, PMS, which was a tool for my own desires, to murder and hate, God is using to grow me to love, to humble me to depend on him! What grace was given to me that I may know God! That I may experience victory! That I may love, when others hate! That I may be wise!

I hope this encourages you to fight! I hope you find yourself ready for battle and encouraged in faith!!!

Come With Me, Together We can Take the Long Way Home

"Come with me, together we can take the long way home" are not just lyrics in the Norah Jones song "The Long Way Home," but there, hidden beneath the notes and lyrics is something waiting to break from the pages. My song!

I have so much to say that has been happening in our lives, some things have been revealing God's goodness and others have been showing us that we need to depend on him for grace to get through it!!

In the book "Relationships, a mess worth making," the author states, "Every painful thing we experience in relationships is meant to remind us of our need for him. And every good thing we experience is meant to be a metaphor of what we can only find in him."

This past year was a really hard season for my husband and I. We had trials, arguments, pain and suffering! Through the pain, God was so faithful and kind to reveal our sin and his love for us. His provision through this roller-coster has been so evident, and I tremble at the thought of how much he loves me!

This season, however short as it may be, has been so relaxing and enjoyable. Just to give you a little background, my husband is a teacher, he just got a job in Athens Tn, (or is in the process of getting), where he will be working for a boss that has the same vision and goals as we do! The city of Athens is what we are looking for, and we are so excited to see what God has in store next year for us!!

In the meantime, however, since David is a teacher, and it is the summer, we have been living in Cookeville and just basically spending time with each other. We have gotten to hang out with old friends and watch one full season of Lost. Silly as it may be, we have been relishing this time and holding tightly to every moment!!!

I can most confidently say that I know what it means to be brought low and I know what it means to abound. I know that whatever my season may be, I am called to depend on Christ alone and not myself. Deut 8 says:

Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. ³ He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. ⁴ Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. ⁵ Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you...

¹⁰ When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. ¹¹ Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. ¹² Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, ¹³ and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, ¹⁴ then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. ¹⁵ He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. ¹⁶ He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. ¹⁷ You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." ¹⁸ But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.

What this means is that no matter my season of life, whether it is ridiculously hard or a fruitful season abounding with the most delectable fruit, God is working. He is always working good for me, and always pouring his kindness on me!

So, like the song lyrics, I do feel I am taking the long way home, that David and I are far from finding out where we need to be, but regardless of the terrain, my goal is Christ!

"So we make it our aim to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it."

Thank Christ for his provision of atonement on the cross. He was perfect, yet took the wrath reserved for me! Not because of anything that I did, but because of his great mercy he was punished in my place!!!

Ode to the Supermarket and the man with the magazine!

So, there I was on isle seven, and all of the sudden I realized it...I had not brushed my teeth! Oh no, I thought to myself, as I began to hold my breath as people pushed by me. And, then, it happened once again. Oh no, I forgot to put deodorant on. How swiftly people were walking by me now. Do I smell that bad? Can they smell me at all? I know all of these things were just my vain imaginings, and no one really could tell that I was so unkempt. But, I knew.

As I was making my way around the supermarket, my mind ever fixed on hygiene, I noticed a man walking into the bathroom with a store copy of a magazine. One that he would probably put back, and one that you or I have probably picked up before. GROSS! I suddenly had a feeling overtaking me, EWWW! I kept replaying this picture in my mind. Flee, I told myself. Run away, far far away!!!

So, as I continued to pass over each isle, I realized something that brightened my grocery task! First, let me preface by sharing that I have been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. This basically means that my hormones are out of whack. I am trying to regulate my hormones naturally, thus pruning every yummy food out of my diet. Let me break this down for all you high fructose corn syrup lovers (which I am one of)... I can't have any prepackaged or canned foods, which basically covers 80% of the store. Although, my new eating habits have been hard to grasp and a mountain to get over. I realized in that moment of passing isle after isle, goodness after sweet yummy goodness, that my life had gotten a little simpler. Yes, this is true. Other than the occasional snack grab, I am blessed to have to pass over isle after isle after isle!

My supermarket route usually starts in the dairy section, continues with the meat, and ends at the produce! No more getting lost in between! So here's to you, PCOS, oh how simple you make life!

Then, after about thirty minutes and much cell phone deliberation between my whole family about where a certain hot sauce was, we realized the certain type we were looking for was in Louisiana. Not in the supermarket isle 9 where I had been looking for the past half hour!

So, there I am. I find myself at the check out counter, finally. My mom recently sent me $100 gift card in the mail. It was neat to find out that my bill was $101.22 But, this meant that I needed to write a check for $1.22 I just handed the cashier the check and let them type its amount. So, the guy hands me back the check. I reach for it. He has a firm grip on it. So, I reach for it again. After a few minutes of playing this game, he said, "I am showing you how much the check is for." SO, then, I said, "Ok" And reached for it again. And, thus, once again, the game began. "What the heck is going on," I thought to myself. He then, so patiently explained, after he ripped the check out from my hands, "no, I am just showing you the amount." Not that he ever told me that he was keeping the check, but I realized once he snagged it from me and put it away, what he was trying to say.

My conclusion is this... Supermarketing is a task, one that reveals sin, and one that is in need of grace!! So, as you go on your way, know this my dear friends... "For He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way, and The Lord has placed on Him the iniquity of us all."

Being wise at home

So, this morning as I sat on the floor with papers scattered about trying to file our life into categories; electric bills, pay check stubs, doctor bills and so on, I found myself stuck in an abyss of TV. I normally don't watch TV during the day, other than the occasional lunch time "What not to Wear". Today, though, I decided to indulge myself while I was filing papers, as if it counteracted the indulgence somehow.

So, my conclusion from today: TV= the world wrapped up in a box. If you want a big dose of the world, just find your remote, turn it on and watch!

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying to throw away your TV. I will still watch it, and one of my husband and my favorite things to do is watch a good show together!

I am asking you to reevaluate this; Are you building your house or tearing it down? Proverbs 14:1 says, "The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her hands tears it down."

What kind of house are you building? One of serving, love, humility...? Or one of self indulgence, self-pity, anger... The things we allow to pour into our minds will either build or tear down. There is nothing in the middle, nothing that is neutral!

I don't think God calls us to be so legalistic or condemned, but I do think this is something to question, something to think about, and, also an opportunity to practice grace when we fall short. An opportunity for the gospel!! For in the gospel we see ourselves there amongst the world, living foolishly disobedient lives. But, God in his mercy saved us, called us blameless! God says, "Not that you chose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you may Go!" God chose me while I was still an enemy of him! Now, I am called to take this gospel to the foolish and disobedient world!

#1 from Femininity Conference

Girl Time!!!!! That is right! This weekend, women gathered from all around to here an excellent author/speaker, Carolyn McCulley! What a treat for us women, and I want you to be able to indulge as well! This week, I want to share a few truths that were so encouraging for me this weekend!

So, here goes #1:

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that He exists, and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

That is a familiar scripture memory verse right? Well, I must admit that although I knew that verse, I don't think I truly understood the last phrase until she explained it. She said, "Do you really believe that God will reward you?"

Now, let me clarify, for all you skeptical women out there. I don't think she was intending, nor do I think the verse is saying that God will reward us with whatever we desire, and it is not saying that these rewards are self indulgent adding to our thrills in life.

I do, however, think that this reward God is speaking of is the reward that he will fulfill his promises, that he will act as he said he would. "God is not man that he should lie, nor son of man that he should change his mind. Does he speak and not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" How I apply this is simple... In those moments where David and I are in conflict, and I think that by nagging him, he will learn his lesson or I will get my way, this is by no means biblical and by no means will it produce the fruit that I desire.

If, however, I am quiet and gentle with him, with all submissiveness, having hope in God, obeying God, my obedience (given from God) will produce fruit. God will act on my behalf. Not that I will receive what I want, but God will reward me, he will produce in me or David the character that reflects his glory!

So, maybe I could break it down by saying that God rewards a heart of obedience with a fruitful life! God will reward me.

Here is another example: David decided to tell his administration that he did not want to coach next year. He felt God leading him in that decision due to the lack of time for family he had while coaching. So, David stepped out in faith. He was not rehired, due to this choice, but, we have hope that God will reward his decision. God promises he will provide! We believe God and who he says he is! He will provide for us! He is Sovereign.

"...according to the plan of Him who works out EVERYTHING in conformity to the purpose of HIS will!" Eph 1:11

My little friend, oh how cute!!!

I just have to share with you something that makes me soo happy!!! This is a fantastic woman and to see her little preggo self makes my heart melt!!!!

"Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward."