Sleeping Beauty

Too many Barbies....

may produce a spontaneous nap in a four year old.


"...when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. " Proverbs 3:24

Formal Wear

My husband and I are attending a black tie gala this evening and I am so excited! I love to get all dressed up. Being a stay-home mom, my attire usually consists of jeans and a cute top. (or shorts & a t-shirt in the summer months). On Sunday I get to step it up a notch at church, but really I don't have the opportunity to dress up that much.

As I put on my fancy dress, a new feeling takes over. It's like Cinderella (or maybe Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, if that's more your thing). For one night I am a princess at the ball. I get to hob-knob with all the "pretty people." Since I usually hob-knob with preschoolers, this is a chance to talk with someone who won't wipe their hands or their nose on my clothes. Exciting!

This reminds me of another time, when I'll get to "dress up." The bible tells us that at the end times, we will be washed as clean as snow! The rags of our sins will be removed and we'll be decked out in the finest "robe of righteousness." This will truly be a chance to hob-knob with the "pretty people," as we'll all be restored to perfection in Christ. Together we can rejoice and praise our heavenly Father!

That will truly be the gala we won't want to miss! Hope to see you there!

Isaiah 61:10 "I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." (NIV)

Colossians 3:9 " Don't lie to one another. You're done with that old life. It's like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you've stripped off and put in the fire. Now you're dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ." (The Message)

Revelation 7:9 "I looked again. I saw a huge crowd, too huge to count. Everyone was there—all nations and tribes, all races and languages. And they were standing, dressed in white robes and waving palm branches, standing before the Throne and the Lamb and heartily singing: Salvation to our God on his Throne! Salvation to the Lamb! All who were standing around the Throne—Angels, Elders, Animals— fell on their faces before the Throne and worshiped God, singing: Oh, Yes! The blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving, The honor and power and strength, To our God forever and ever and ever! Oh, Yes!" (The Message)

Welcome She Speaks Attendees!

If you are visiting from Lysa TerKeurt's site today, Welcome!! I hope you enjoy looking around, and "chatting" with me.

I am attending the She Speaks Conference this year (as a writer) and am very excited about it. My blog strives to be casual and funny, but always bring the story line back to God at the end. My posts this week were more serious, but keep reading!

Thanks for visiting and come back often! See you at She Speaks!

Andris

This is Andris. I was at church and there was a big sign up that said "Adopt-A-Camper" followed by lots of photos. The minute I saw Andris' photo, this beautiful boy stole my heart. (I am the mother of 2 little girls, you know).

But my heart was almost immediately broken. As I read Andris information it said:

"Andris has been to camp the past two years. His favorite outdoor activity is water balloons. He is a street kid, who really doesn't have parents or a home. He sleeps wherever he can get warm and eats from the garbage and other people's scraps."

My heart felt truly broken. Andris is 8 years old. So is my oldest daughter. I cannot imagine the life he is living, in Latvia. What could I do? Latvia doesn't like their children to be adopted outside the country. (Yes, I checked). So they create impossible guidelines, such as having to live there for 6 months before you can adopt. In 2007 only 7 children were adopted out of the country.

I wish I could wrap this story up with a nice little ending and we could all live happily ever after. I think of Andris often and pray for him. I did sponsor him for camp. He will go to the church run camp in Latvia for a week this summer where he will learn of and receive the love of Christ.

One day, I hope to see Andris in heaven, and tell him how much I wish I could have done more for him, how I prayed for him and how happy I am that he now has a home and a father...and then we'll be siblings, both adopted in love by the same Father through Christ Jesus.

"In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will." Ephesians 1:5 (NIV)

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"" Romans 8:15 (NASB)

"But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons." Galations 4:4,5 (NASB)

I hope this video doesn't seem self-serving, but I imagine meeting Andris in heaven will be something like this.

Memorial Day

How are you spending your Memorial Day? Cookouts, at the pool, at the "big sale"...these are just a few of the fun Memorial Day pass times.

I remember when I was first dating my husband, we attended an outdoor concert for either Memorial Day or 4th of July. I was chatting with a girlfriend, when suddenly this man I was dating elbowed me right in the side. I glared at him - "The nerve!" - when I noticed he had his hand over his heart. I listened a moment and realized the National Anthem was playing. I could tell this meant a lot to him, so I joined in, not realizing what the big deal was.

Moving ahead 3 years we were married and I was unpacking boxes, I found various medals and certificates. This man I married was a United States Military Academy at West Point Graduate, and a Vietnam Vet. Now I understood a bit more why he was so sentimental over the National Anthem.

After 7 years of marriage, we attended his West Point Reunion. It was fun to visit the grounds and see all the "pomp and circumstance" of the Military Academy. That evening they played a funny video montage of pictures of the guys in school. Then they played the second video. While the haunting tune of "Mansion of the Lord" played, photo after photo of their classmates who had been killed in action filled the screen. Every man in the room was in tears. As one picture came across the screen, my husband choked out "he was my room-mate." My husband's own room-mate had been killed in action. I never knew.

This Memorial Day, stop and consider what Memorial Day really is. And if you hear the National Anthem; stop, listen, put your hand over your heart. Don't be so cavalier as I once was. Remember the soldiers who have given their life for us.

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13


This is not the video of my husband's fallen classmates,

but the same song and an equally moving video.

Lyrics:
To fallen soldiers let us sing
Where no rockets fly nor bullets wing
Our broken brothers let us bring
To the Mansions of the Lord
No more bleeding, no more fight
No prayers pleading through the night
Just divine embrace, eternal light
To the Mansions of the Lord.
Where no mothers cry and no children weep
We will stand and guard though the angels sleep
Through the ages safely keep
The Mansions of the Lord.