Some Days I Just...

Want to give up. I want to throw in the towel and quit fighting because it hurts too much.

Make myself get out of bed. I am safe as long as I'm under the covers, right?

Live life to the fullest. I enjoy every moment and do things I really enjoy!

Cry. Some days are just like that.

Spend the day at home. I enjoy my family and my safe haven.

Hang out with a friend. I value my relationships with others.

Go on a date with my husband. My marriage is important and my husband deserves some undivided attention from me.

Clean the house in a way that no one notices. When I clean out containers or change clothes by seasons it always makes a bigger mess! :P

Grieve my losses. Sometimes I take the time to remember those I've lost and how I'll never be the same again because I don't have them here anymore.

Imagine the future. What will my girls do when they grow up? Where will we live?

Obsess over problems. I'm terrible at dieting. I'm too emotional. I'm just too tired.

Go shopping. You know, it's like therapy, but I usually end up buying stuff for my girls more than myself.

Watch movies or read books. It's fun to imagine a different kind of world and use my imagination.

Write. For years I've pondered the idea of writing a book to be published, but I don't know where I'd start. I also have several things I'd write about so I don't know what I'd pick either.

Pray. Some of my best moments come from talking to my Heavenly Father. He is the only one who hears my heart and knows my intentions.

My Desire

I feel like wind blown branches of a tall Southern pine.
Lord, strengthen me in every way.
May my character reflect the that of my Savior.
I will not stray from the Words you have given,
Inspired by You and given to men,
Men YOU chose.
Choose me to be just as trustworthy.
I will fail,
But will always get back up
repentant and recommitted.
Society will not define my faith
nor false teachers leading their own paths.
My voice will not fade as I defend the Word
knowing that it is powerful, life saving, and never changing.
Here I am,
willing to do what you've called me to do
who you've called me to be.
It is sacrifice.
If it isn't, then it's not living fully for You.
Use me to bless others,
to share Your gospel,
and please keep me strong and unmovable
with an legacy to leave behind
so I may be like the strong trunk of a live oak.

A Letter to My Daughters

Dear Girls,

As I get older and observe the world around me I feel compelled to share some motherly advice. Though you've heard it before, you have it in writing to carry with you always.

1. You are valuable.
Your value is not measured in the following: clothing, hair style, shoes, money, activities, friends, and stuff in general.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

2. Modesty will help maintain your purity as well as others'. You do not need to be part of anyone's imagination nor tempt others to sin because of the way you present yourself. Those that win a man through physical appearances and lusts will lose the man to the same thing. A real man will fall in love with your heart and spirit and better yet, a godly man will love your relationship with the Lord. He will love you the way God intended you to be loved.
Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a [k]temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20

3. Dating isn't easy. The purpose of dating should be to seek out a future godly mate that you will spend the rest of your earthly life with. Know that every guy you date will get a little piece of your heart, a piece you can't get back. Relationships cause pain, even healthy ones. Know the kind of man you want and don't settle for anything else. Trust that God will bring him to you in His time and be praying for that man regularly.
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

4. Friends will come and go but family is forever. By nature people will do what is in their best interest. Your father and I have your best interest in mind. God gave you to us meaning He trusted us to care and provide for you. Regardless of your choices, successes and failures, we will love you unconditionally and always be there for you.
Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you. Exodus 20:12

5. The name of Christ is easy to claim but harder to live. Many people will claim to be Christian, but if one truly is, they believe the Bible to be complete and true and inspired of God Himself. Look for actions to support their claims. Seek godly people for advice yet make sure they don't use God only when things are good in their lives or like an inspirational poster in their life. Godly people will hold to their faith in good times and bad. They know what the Bible says, church and godly living is a priority, and they will show interest in your spiritual life.
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ Matthew 7:21-24

6. Where you put your time and energy demonstrates what's most important in your life. Education, career, family, and health are not bad in themselves. Remember that when you put anything above God it will cause failure somewhere in your life. God doesn't need to be left out of anything you do. If you put most of your time into yourself, be prepared to be viewed as selfish. Be thankful for what you have and don't be afraid to give back to others. I'm thankful for my education and my job, but your dad and I have tried to show you that you come first. We value our family time at home. I don't want regrets in life, I want to be a mother before I'm someone else's friend. You are not an inconvenience in my life. When you become a wife and mother, you choose to go on a path with your husband and children; life is no longer a path you take alone.
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:3-5

7. Never forget the price that was paid for you! Know that you will fail in life. Remember to keep yourself pure by keeping short accounts with God. Take your sins and failures to Him, but only if you truly trust Him to to hear you and you are truly repentant in your heart. Remember that Jesus came to walk this earth and has experienced many things as you, but being who He is, could not sin. Yet because of His love He bore all that we will give Him so that we can share our eternity with Him.
This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. 1 John 1:5-10

I thank God for you and pray for you continually. Become the women God wants you to be. No matter where your paths may lead, you'll always have a place in my heart. Stand strong in your faith and I look forward to seeing what God has in store for each of you!!

Love,
Mom

He is Risen

1 Corinthians 15:55-57
'O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.'

I enjoyed spending all of today celebrating the truth of these verses. What a wonderful morning that began celebrating the resurrection of our Savior! It was so moving hearing the church join in song, especially in closing by singing Jared Anderson's "Great I Am". Our afternoon was treasured as a family celebrating at home. As I reflect on what my Savior did for me, I realize that it was His victory over death that allows me to enjoy these precious days with my family without fear of what tomorrow holds. Christ won the final victory, the victory over death.

The Hunger Games

Understand that my 13 year old daughter is an avid reader! She first read The Hunger Games and begged me to read it. As I heard more about it and a movie to follow I engaged myself in the book over the course of 3 nights after the kids were in bed

I was surprised at how much I really enjoyed the book. Not "enjoyed" in the sense of a happy devotional kind of thing. I enjoyed the thought provoking nature of the book. This book gave a perspective of a post-Apocalyptic America renamed Panem. I won't give a summary of the story, but you can find one here. The book did a great job of showing the thoughts of the main character, Katniss Everdeen. You can feel her emotions, struggles, hear her opinions, and realize her true humanity in a system that seeks to dehumanize its people. This is a book that is most appropriate for teens and young adults (or older adults). :D It is a book that I feel shouldn't just be read to move on to the next. Instead it is a book that opens up incredible discussion opportunities and provides many lessons along the way. There is quite a bit of violence that was hard for a sensitive person like me, but I did see the point of it going along with the system of government and the past the culture has emerged from.

My daughter and I did hit the midnight showing for the movie. As usual the book was definitely better simply because of the depth of background information provided and the deeper level that you get to "know" the characters. There's more explanation of the relationships between several of the characters that are what made the book so difficult to put down. In the movie I did feel moved to tears on two occasions. The first was when she is saying farewell to Cinna in those final seconds before the games begin. You can see the fear taking hold over her. The book did a much better job showing a deeper connection between these two characters. Katniss is not good at making friends. The effects of her daily life in District 12 have an obvious effect on her emotions, the way she sees people, and the friendships she makes. Cinna takes her for who she is and sees beyond her tough exterior. They become friends and she confides in him. He also has great faith in her for the Games.

The second tear jerker was, of course, the loss of Rue. The book did a beautiful job with Rue. A sweet girl only 12 years old that Katniss tries to protect as she did her sister, Prim. No sooner had they bonded Rue faces her untimely death at the hands of another tribute. Here is where you see Katniss show her disdain for the Captol as she puts a human quality back into Rue despite her death. She carefully lays flowers around her body before she is taken away and you see the despair Katniss deals with. She is not playing the game, she has been dealt the game. She doesn't want to participate in this as the Careers do. She volunteered to save her sister's life.

Overall the movie was good. They stayed close to the story line of the book which was much appreciated. I have already begun the second book in the series. If you want another good review of the movie you can find it on the Focus on the Family site. It also provides discussion questions for you! There's also a site I found that has a discussion forum by parents if you want to see what others are saying about the book, too. You can find it here.

I am going to read the other 2 books to finish the series. Maybe I'll have more to add after that. According to my 13 year old things really do get intense in the 3rd book. As I mentioned concerns about the first book with younger readers, she expressed more concern for young people reading the last book. I guess I'll find out more about that in the coming weeks. Please feel free to add further comments below!