It's Time

Alright. I'll admit it, I'm slightly addicted to facebook. There. Done. Now, that said, I am starting to lose track of the number of times I "log on" only to find people trashing and slandering (is that a word? it is now) our President. Quite frankly, not that it makes a difference or even matters, but I am starting to get unbelievably ANNOYED by this. Now it's no secret that I did in fact vote for Obama, so I'm sure some people disregard what I have to say and think it holds little weight, but even if it was Bush that was still president (whom I did not agree with most of the time), I still don't think I hold a right to be judgemental and make derogatory claims that, seriously, in my opinion, seem "treason-y" (I know, there I go inventing new words again). Granted that sounds harsh, but my husband and I were discussing this issue last night and came up with the following example:
He's the coach for Siloam Panther's, right? So what if he was constantly bashing and criticizing the people above him, whom he worked for, claiming how awful it was to "be a Panther", grumbling about every policy, claiming his authorities had no business in their positions (as if he knew what was best)...wouldn't he look ignorant for remaining in that environment and continuing to call himself a Panther? Shouldn't he try and fix his issues in a mature manner or just move?
Now I'm not suggesting that all the Obama haters change citizenship's (though it wold seem logical quite honestly), but I think I struggle with the Biblical nature of it all...
How many Old Testament leaders did God appoint and allow to lead a country who were evil with cruel intent? Countless.
How many times did God allow his people to be disrespectful and not follow their leader based upon their moral stance or experience? Not once.
In fact, God often used such leaders to bring about justice and good...take King Herod for example (one of the many). Through that reign, God fostered great trust and deliverance in his people.
And the inexperience factor? When has that EVER been a barrier for what God can do? Please. Name me a time.
The only thing God commands in terms of leaders and it's followers is that the followers be in continual prayer for the person placed in leadership.
So I guess I'm just confused where we get off thinking it's our right and role to speak against and be non-supportive of the man God has allowed to lead our country? I've just been dis-heartened. If any of you can explain it to me, I'd love to hear. Seriously.

Sickness Free

Finally. Yes. If you posses any kind of viral infection/funky, unknown, exotic couch or bug in your stomach - know I love you - but DON'T COME NEAR!!!!!
Lincoln has bounced back to a full recovery and it was well worth the wait. The little sucker has been taken over by the giggle monster and is in the best of moods, giggling up a storm at every and anything...which of course makes us laugh our butts off, continuing the never ending giggle cycle. Precious. Beautiful. Priceless.
I went off to church tonight to rehearse music for Easter Sunday and when I came back, our little black lab, Papi, had his snout resting on Lincoln's tummy on the floor - both asleep. The moment ranked up there with the top 10 most precious. Wish we could have captured it on camera, but the camera beep freaks Papi out and was a sure fire way to ruin the moment (which was ruined anyway when the beagle started growling).
Lincoln's doing great with his rice cereal. He gets it for breakfast and dinner and has had no learning curve with the swallowing factor - the guy got it. Quick. What an eater. But the little guy is still taking 7 - SEVEN bottles (that's 2 bottles excessive for his age). So this weekend, we're going to work on getting rid of the 10:30 bottle and cut them down to six.
I'm curious to see what his weight is now and his percentile...
Speaking of weight, happy to report that I weighed myself today and I'm 115 - what I was when we got married. :) Proud mamma.

Faith

Faith sees the storm as a chance for God to work in a new way.
Faith sees the darkness as an opportunity for His light to shine brighter.
Faith sees pain as an opportunity for God to comfort and encourage His precious child.

Today I am reminded that Jesus is in control of all circumstances, no matter the size or weight, that He is in control. And though I know this, sometimes lacking the resgister from my brain to my heart, today I am also reminded that Jesus LIVES...He is alive and He is at work.
How great and conforting to know that the God I serve is indeed ALIVE.

Sunday's Devotional

I Give Up!
Mary Southerland

Today’s Truth “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (NIV).

Friend To Friend I will never forget the day I discovered that my son was a pagan, a sinner! Jered was about six-months-old and crawling everywhere. I had just come back from running errands and was busy putting groceries away in the kitchen, which had a pass-through opening that enabled me to keep an eye on Jered while I worked. He seemed contented as he played with his toys, occasionally taking a break to terrorize our two cats.
When Jered first began to crawl, we had packed away anything that could hurt him, most of our breakables and everything of sentimental value. We had, however, left a beautiful conch seashell on the living room coffee table and used it to begin the arduous but vital task of teaching Jered the meaning of “no”. Repeatedly we would point to the shell, touch it and say, “No, no!” Of course, he was a brilliant child, but I was not sure if he had really grasped the whole concept – until that momentous day.
With the last of the groceries put away, I dumped a bag of potatoes into the kitchen sink and began peeling them for dinner. Glancing up I saw Jered staring at the shell, a grin of anticipation on his face. All of a sudden, he broke out in a fast crawl straight toward the forbidden shell. I winced as the thought of what he could do to that shell and what that shell could do to his small hands. I called out in a firm, confident voice, “Jered, no. Do not touch that shell!” Immediately, in mid-crawl, he stopped, sat up and looked back at me while seeming to consider his options and weigh the consequences. As I repeated the warning, he joyfully clapped his hands, flashing me the most adorable smile. What a great kid! He’s got it! I started around the corner to give him a hug and praise him for his obedience when he took off like a shot, crawling as fast as his chubby little hands and knees would carry him. Reaching the coffee table, Jered grabbed the shell and plopped it in his lap like a hard-earned trophy. I gasped in disbelief as his face reflected total triumph! He knew exactly what he was doing and he was not one bit sorry! My perfect little boy was a rebellious pagan, just like his mother.
Each and every one of us was born with a nature that loves to rebel and feeds a natural “bent” toward selfish, wrong choices. However, when we come to Christ we receive a new nature that naturally desires to obey God. The result is internal civil war. The Apostle Paul struggled with sin just like we do today. In his letter to the church at Rome Paul describes his frustration with his own sin: “I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate.” (NLT) Sound familiar? I will never forget the first time I read those fervent words written by this man of God. I was so relieved! I often thought I was the only believer who still engaged in major battles with sin. I was thrilled and encouraged to know that I was not in this battle alone. The reality is that as long as we live in this broken and fallen world, our sinful nature and our God nature will constantly be at war.
How do we win that war? The solution is very simple, but very expensive. In fact, it will cost you everything, beginning with the total control of your life. To win this war between the old and new nature we must constantly surrender to God, allowing Him to guide, direct and empower us to live for Him. I love how one man described his own war against sin. “It is like there are two dogs fighting within me, an old dog and a new dog. The one who will win is the one I feed the most.”
The old nature is fed by the world and encouraged to enjoy the sin it so freely offers. But God lovingly urges us to strengthen the new nature He has given us by reading and studying the Bible, by praying and spending time with other believers and by serving Him. Certain victory is ours when we constantly choose against the old nature while surrendering to the power of the Holy Spirit. Join me in giving up! Victory is on the way!

Now It’s Your Turn Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the sin in your life that you have refused to face. Write that sin down, confess it and ask Him to forgive you. Now destroy the paper on which you wrote the sin and thank God for His forgiving power.

Consider the following questions:
What is the most powerful sin in my life? Why?
How does this sin influence my everyday life?
Does this sin affect my relationship with God? In what way?
What is the first step I need to take in order to free my life from this sin?
What specific actions can I take to strengthen the choice I have made to turn from this sin?

Find this article at: http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/girlfriends/11601749/

Fun Stuff

I guess I'm living the inevitable of being a mom: when your child gets a tummy virus, it's only a matter of time before it's ugly head strikes mamma. And it did. Full force. Yesterday. I have now been nauseous, with no appetite since Monday, but now, throw in those two things plus "ridding" myself of what's, um, not in my body (then what the heck is it?!), for almost 24 hours now. Yeah. Fun stuff.

Poop, Squeals, & Laundry

That's right folks. And we're going on day #5. Jason and I added it up and estimated that we've changed close to 40 diarrhea diapers in the past five days...in all shades and colors. In fact, dare I say it, but there was one color (in the turquoise family) that was so pretty I wanted to save the diaper and try and find paint to match it for our guest bedroom. And for those of you with kids, you know, but the poop doesn't always stay int he diaper. Actually, most of the time it likes to gush out the edges like a smelly avalanche, roaring it's way down those chubby little legs and onto whatever meets it's path - one of those times it was mommy's tummy. Yum. So with that escapade comes laundry - LOADS of it. Everyday. Cause not only are we washing his clothes, but all the blankets and bedding that come along with it. Not to mention the baby who gets a dip in the sink with each poop avalanche. And the poor guy has pooped so much, his little behind is a bright shade of red to compliment his many shaded poops. And I probably don't even have to mention the lack of any kind of routine these days, shrill screams and fussiness, and constant streams of spit up. You get the picture.
Yes, our poor little fella has his first tummy virus. And it's not pretty (well, except for that turquoise poop). I miss my little giggles and constant smiles. We went to the doctor yesterday and there's nothing serious going on, so he just needs to ride it out. So that's what we're doing. I've been home working the past few days taking care of the little guy. The funny thing is I got sick two nights ago with unexplainable nausea. My skin was hurting and muscles aching and I felt like passing out when I would get up. But no fever...so no flu. Then what is it? It's been the great mystery the past few days. The other night the nausea was so bad, I came into the living room and slept on the floor (something I was notorious for doing when I was pregnant). I've had zero appetite and the nausea is overbearing at times...then at times it's not so bad. At any other moment, I'd swear I was pregnant cause all the symptoms match how I felt last year at this time. But don't go suggesting baby names for us or anything, cause I think it's near impossible since that little Aunt of mine has just packed her bags a few days ago.
Anyway, in the meantime Jason's been a DREAM. He was totally Mr. Mom yesterday, taking care of both of us, changing diapers, getting medicine...there was a moment when I walked in the living room with Lincoln sprawled across his chest asleep and it was priceless. I would have taken a picture but didn't want to wake him up. I'm just reminded everyday, even in the midst of more poop than you can imagine, how blessed I am. :)

Social Networking DOES Have It's Benefits

I know I already wrote one post today, but since Lincoln's sleeping most of the day, and it's snowing outside, I thought I wold take this moment to update one more thing that's been on my mind...

I title the post this way because I can't count the number of times I've heard social networking slammed and ridiculed by many people (usually older generations) saying it's nothing a path to unrighteousness and allowing all sorts of evil to filter into lives (really? come on). I personally find it quite useful and a way for my friends, who are literally scattered all over the country, and I to stay connected and involved in each others lives through daily updates and pictures, where we might not have the opportunity otherwise. A few years ago, when I lead a group of girls on a mission trip to the Ukraine, we were low on funds and some people found out about our trip through Facebook, were touched by what God was doing, and helped us out financially. A true blessing.

Here recently (the reason for this post), I received a message from a kid, we'll call him Joe for the sake of anonymity (and that I don't have permission to use his name), on my Myspace account - which I rarely check, but just happened to the other day.

Back story - When I lived in California, I worked at a place for kids that were wards of the state and had no legal ties to any of their families. They had failed MANY foster placements before being placed in my specific facility - a.k.a. "kid jail", "hell-on-earth", "if-you're-bad-enough-to-come-here-you-have-no-hope-in-life"...fun place. I started working here cause I thought I could make a difference. Oh my little full-of-hope heart :) The problems these kids faced and experienced in their lies were like none I had ever seen, much less even heard of. Even now, after being in this field for many years, I still haven't seen things like I saw those few years of working there. I worked in the boy's side, kids 8-12. I had my heart strings snagged, patience tested, emotions checked, maturity levels forced to increase, and ultimately, my faith and endurance rung through fire.

During this time, I met Joe. He was an 8 year old, tiny little Hispanic boy that arrived his first day at this place during my shift. I walked into his room as he was unpacking his things to welcome him and introduce myself. Instead of the return introduction, I received, "F*** you! Get out of my F***ing room! This place F****ing sucks *#@*##*@@@**##....!!!!"
I smile to myself because I know I was stupid to really expect anything other than what I got. Then I say to myself "I'll try again tomorrow."

And I did.
And I got the same response.
But I kept trying.
And trying...and then tried some more.

Eventually, I gained a slither of Joe's trust, and it was one night when he started asking me about my faith in God. He asked, so I talked...and these talks turned into nightly talks. Staff had to sit outside each room while the kids fell asleep (to make sure nothing bad happened), and Joe always wanted me outside of his so we could have our talks. My relationship with Joe grew a little each week as he slowly began to let his guard down.

In fall 2004, I was accepted into a PH.D. program that monopolized 90% of my time, including time I would need for a job. So I had to quit. My last day on the job, after prayer and consideration, I truly felt God still wanted me to stay involved in Joe's life. It was an overriding push I couldn't ignore, and I pursued the possibility of being a volunteer mentor for Joe. After talking to case workers and personnel at the place I worked, it worked out to where I became Joe's mentor and got to have weekly visits with Joe.

Every Saturday, I came and picked him up and we did different activities together. Regardless of what activity, we always ate at In-and-Out - Joe's favorite. Joe's behaviors started to improve in his placement over the next year and he was able to move to a group home (only few people improve to make this step)...our visits continued for the year and at the end of the year, Joe had made enough improvements to continue in public school (the only kid in this placement to get to go to public school), and was set to graduate from elementary school.

He was excited for the graduation and the possibility that his mother and brother might even come. Of course I went to the graduation, and he was even awarded in front of the entire school for greatest accomplishment and most improved! I was so proud...but after it was over, quickly realized I was the only one there to see him...no family...no friends. The kid literally had no one.

Shortly after, I moved to Arkansas. It's been five years and I still to this day think about how Joe is doing and pray for him continually. I even tried to get in touch with him through his case worker a few years ago with little success because of HIPPA laws and such.

Then, a few days ago, in my Myspace inbox, was a message...from Joe. My heart stopped. My eyes welled. He gave his number and wanted me to call him. He would later tell me a few days after, that when I responded to him, he cried, and that he had no idea why, but he cried. Joe will be 16 soon...last time I heard from him, he was 11. He told me just the other night that he has lost touch with everyone's who's tried to help him in his life, but he doesn't want to do that anymore. He asked if I still "pray for everything"...after my response of "of course", he asked that I continue to pray for him.
You bet I will. It's good to have Joe back in my life. I've always said he was inspiration for why I do what I do. During those years of working at that place, I contemplated whether or not working with kids with mental health issues and rough pasts is really what I wanted to do. It was so hard and exhausting with little to none rewards. Yet God placed it on my heart. Something I can't ignore. And when Joe came along, I realized God really can change lives - in a dramatic way, even through measly people like you and me.
Joe's not a Christian. But you can bet I pray for his soul on a daily basis. I pray to someday get a call from him saying, "Melissa, I get it now. I get what you always talked about."