Friday, June 27, 2008

Quiet Rest

The stained glass windows for the sanctuary were just put in yesterday. I've only seen them from the outside, but they look stunning. I remember when I was a kid, and we'd visit a church that had stained glass windows, I would look at the Bible pictures on them during the sermon and think about the stories from the Bible. Have you ever sat alone in a sanctuary when sunlight is streaming through the stained glass windows? I haven't yet, but I imagine that it would feel like complete peace. In fact, we just talked about peace Wednesday night. About how we are not to worry or stress out about things, but instead give it all to Jesus and live in his uncomprehensible peace. And I can say that I get the best rest when I let Jesus worry about my problems. After all, He's God and I'm not. "In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety (Psalm 4:8)".


Wednesday, June 18, 2008

The Naming

It's hard to come up with a baby girl name. Actually, it's not hard to think of girl names I like; the difficulty is when Chris and I compare our lists of girl names, there's not many that we both agree on. When I was pregnant with Jacob, we had a backup girl name, just in case, which we ended up using for Savannah. With Elijah and also with Seth, we also had a backup girl name - but we knew 100% that they were boys before they were born, so we didn't think a whole lot about our girl name. So now that we know 99.99999% that this is a little girl, we are having to re-evaluate our list of names. The responsibility of naming my babies weighs very heavily on me. Their name is something they will live with for the rest of their lives. I've had people comment on our kids' names, "All your boys have Bible names, what happened to Savannah?" And if you want to know the truth, we didn't set out to have all "Biblical" names. I wanted our boys to have good, strong masculine names. And I wanted our daughter to have a lovely feminine name. I wanted them to have names that they could grow into as they grew older. I wanted them to have names that would sound just as good if they turned out to be lawyers, mechanics, or preachers. I wanted them to have names that celebrated their gender. So, in turn, we chose the names of Jacob, Savannah, Elijah, and Seth. And now, with this little girl, I have the same goal. I want her to be excited that she's a girl; I want her name to identify her as a lady. I want her to have a name that's unique to her, but not so unusual that she has to tell everyone how to pronounce it. I want her to have a name that will grow and live with her through her old age. And most importantly, I want her to live worthy of her name.
And that's what drives me as I pore through baby name books, reading lists of names until my eyes are dry. You can rest assured I've crossed off Pocahontas, Barbarella, Atilla, Quinella, Marionette and Urania (yes, these were all in the baby name books)! Just for fun, do ya'll have any feminine-sounding suggestions??
"A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches (Proverbs 22:1)".
"A good name is better than fine perfume (Ecclesiastes 7:1)".

Friday, June 13, 2008

After All These Long, Drawn Out Years...

Happy Anniversary, Chris! While we were on our trip, we had absolutely no web access so I was unable to post about this historic event when it actually happened. (Imagine that, we stayed at the "posh-est" hotel I've ever been to, and they charged for computer usage. There was free wi-fi everywhere, but alas, we don't have a laptop.) But on June 10th, we celebrated 8 years of marriage! I never dreamed on that sunny summer day we were wed that 8 years later I would be married to a senior pastor, have moved 7 different times, be pregnant with our 5th child, and would have such an interesting life! Yeah, the specifics could not have been known, but I knew this: that for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health I would love Chris until the day I die. And our love is deeper, richer, and more committed because of how we've chosen to respond to each other and because of our relationship with Christ. Chris, you are my best friend. You are a wonderful father. You are a funny guy - you make me laugh hard and loud! And you have perfected page 14 (inside joke; don't ask, I won't tell).
"Many waters cannot quench love, nor will rivers overflow it (Song of Solomon 8:7)".

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Countdown...

The kids' bags are all packed, the floors are scrubbed, and all that's left to do is get me and Chris packed as well. Savannah has been counting down the night-nights for the last week and a half till the day all the kids get to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house for seven days! Now it's just one more night-night away; I don't think she can wait that long! Jacob is planning to work in Grandpa's garden, then play in the dirt pile, then play with legos, then play with the toys in the cabinet. Eli is just plain excited because everyone else is! We've never left Seth before for overnight, so this will be a big deal for him...and me!
Tomorrow we take the kids to my parents' house 4 hours away, then come back late at night. Saturday morning, Chris and I will fly out to our denomination's yearly convention. Our anniversary comes while we are out there, so I'll probably order dessert for supper that night. I'm so looking forward to this trip; plus, with the new baby on the way, I doubt there will be very many chances in the near future for just the two of us to get away by ourselves. Not that the convention is a vacation... Ha! We will be very busy in meetings from dawn till night, and rushing to get meals in between. There are some important discussions and decisions that will be happening during the convention. I consider it such a privilege to be involved and pray that God will get the glory in everything.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Amphibious Weather

During a recent rainstorm, Elijah happened to glance out the window and noticed a thick layer of fog rolling across the back yard. He instantly ran to the window and stood on his tiptoes, pulling up on the window sill to see better. "Look, Mommy," he yelled, "It sure is froggy out there!"

Security Blanket


It's funny how each kid is different. That's one of my favorite things about being a mom - figuring out each child's unique personality. For example, when Jacob was a baby and needed to go to sleep, he sure put up a good fight. We'd hold his passy in his mouth and pat him on his back until he'd finally fall asleep. After Savannah got over her colic (which was horrid for the whole family!), she went to sleep fairly easily as long as she had her pacifier solidly plugged in her mouth. Elijah, on the other hand, would have nothing to do with a passy. All he needed was his little arm slung over his Winnie the Pooh bear, and he'd fall fast asleep. Then there's little Seth. Our shy little thumb-sucking, bear blanket toting "Linus". Although he only sucks his thumb to fall asleep, the blankie goes everywhere with him. In fact, when he wakes up from his nap, he is standing in his crib just waiting to be lifted out with his bear blankie, sippy cup, and all his other blankets tucked up under his arms ready to face whatever the day brings forth.

Recently I was "pondering in my heart" about these things, and I started to wonder what my "security blanket" is. What is it that I have to have near me, tucked up under my arm to make me feel right with the world? For some, their security blankets may be knowledge, food, coffee, different forms of entertainment, favorite articles of clothing, financial security, etc. There is nothing wrong with any of these things in themselves. But if they become what I rely on for comfort, or to put my world back on track when I'm floundering, then they are an idol in my life. That's one of the reasons I love the verse on the top of my blog. It reminds me of where my hope, trust, comfort and centering is and should be.

"Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Psalm 73:25-26)."