Contemplations of a Mommy "Monk"

Have you ever had doors close in your face every which way you turned? Me too. Come read my devotion at Laced with Grace today:

Some songs bring back vivid memories. Avalon's CD was in my Toyota for the three years when we lived in Dallas. I drove up the freeway in the morning with this CD and came back home from the high school (where I taught) on the crowded roads with Avalon by my side. I recently heard it on the radio again and it reminded me of how timeless some songs can be. I'm not a newlywed with no kids living in a big city anymore, but this song still describes my life. May everything I say or do testify to His great love!

Well, I don't think there were any mice playing yesterday, but it sure seemed like everything went awry. 1. I went to church to work on a skit for Sunday and things seemed to be going just fine until I got ready to leave. I buckled up the kids and started to back out of my parking space only to discover that I could only go straight. The steering wheel went round and round but the wheels stayed put. I was spinning my wheels... Thanks to a good friend, I made it home and the car got to stay at church. It's a very spiritual car, so I'm sure it didn't mind. 2. When I arrived home (in my friend's van), I noticed a large green canvas item on my roof. Yup, the patio umbrella was the first victim of the strong winds. I wondered if I should try to man-up and climb onto the roof to get it down. But, instead I decided to just leave it up there. And lo and behold, after a little while it blew right back down again. Never mind the fact that a few pieces of it were broken (at le...

It seems like it was just yesterday when I toted around an oversized bag filled with diapers, bottles and pacifiers. I vacuumed up cheerios three times a day and mopped oatmeal off the floor each morning. I woke up in the middle of the night for feedings or comforting and cuddling a little bundle. I wore holes in the knees of my jeans from crawling around on the floor after rambunctious noise-makers. That's what it means to be a mom. But, I'm not that kind of mom anymore. I'm going through a transition these days and I'm transforming into a SOCCER MOM. Scary. I never in my wildest dreams thought that would be me. I don't even like soccer. But here I am, toting a soccer ball, sweaty shin guards, snacks and juice boxes for a team of kiddos who run around for an hour and call it a "sport." I'm becoming the mom who drops her kids off a school in the morning, volunteers in the classroom and makes cupcakes for Valentine's day parties. No more pacifiers f...

Order my tongue, in Your word Guide my feet, in Your word Wash my heart, in Your word Show me how to walk, in Your word Show me how to talk, in Your word.(refrain) I want to walk worthy, my calling to fulfill Please order my steps, Lord, and I’ll do Your blessed will The world is ever changing, but You are still the same If You order my steps, I’ll praise Your name. ~~A hymn by Glen Burleigh~ One of the things I've been noticing lately in my walk with the Lord is how very little I am able to do on my own. I want to walk worthy, but I am unable to guide my steps in the way He desires and I'm not able to keep my heart pure or my lips for that matter. I want my life to honor Him, but on my own, that's impossible. We know this intellectually, but understanding it in practice is a bit more difficult. I run off and plan 5 meetings, organize everything to a tee, work my tail off and then wonder if I've been seeking God's guidance through it all. My feet sometimes get ahead...

Just to set the record straight before we get started, this post is not about deer or music. Not in the way you're thinking, at least. A Freshman in the Cafeteria I've started my new job at Insight Schools as an online math instructor for high school students this week, so if my posts are few and far between you'll understand why. I'm trying to figure out how to use three separate programs and look like I've got it all together. It's a bit like the first day of high school as a freshman. I remember picking out the perfect outfit that made me look serious and grown-up like a high schooler, but also fun and easygoing. I filled up my backpack with #2 pencils, my Trapper and plenty of paper for all those notes I'd be taking. I arrived at school and tried to get into my locker. 32-45-18. Um, no, was it 45-32-18? Are you supposed to turn left-right-left or right-left-right? Oh, heck, forget it, I don't need a locker anyway! I rushed down the hallway towards my...

Hey! Hope everyone had a good weekend. I know we sure did - swimming at the beach, playing at our little village's "Fun Days." The kids got to pretend they were firefighters (which is great since two of them decided a while ago that they wanted to be firefighters and work together when they grow up). They played waterball and got soaked to the bone. We ate fried cheese curds, corn dogs and ice cream but the best part was the lemonade stand. The kids set up a table in the front yard and the little guy yelled at passersby "Lemonade - 50 cents!" No one could refuse him :) They got to spend their profits buying tiaras and eating candy. I think every child should have the opportunity to open their own business at the age of 3 - ha! They got t-shirts for singing karaoke for the whole street party to hear - I was impressed with their bravery! And then we got to listen to the bands late into the night since we only live a block off of main street. Well, at le...

One of the great songs from last week's Bible school. I love this song because it's a great reminder to be thankful.

An old favorite made new for the next generation... It's awesome to hear my kids singing such an old classic!

Last week, my kids learned an old classic: Amazing Grace. At ages 3, 5 and 7, they learned to love this hymn about God's grace through a powerful new version. I love the motions that the kids did and the fact that the words speak such great truth.

Last week, I introduced my kids to this classic hymn. I love the beat and fun actions which make it kid-friendly. Now, they hear different versions on the radio and start to sing along. How awesome it that? I love to sing about His Grace!

The little boy plopped down next to me in the grass. "Professor Heather, do you like the fireworks?" he asked. Yes, I did, but there was something more exciting than the event displayed in front to of my eyes. A little boy who was learning about Jesus. I'm thankful that God works through ordinary people to accomplish his extraordinary purposes. Sometimes people shy away from being involved in church activities. "I'm too busy to help out in the Nursery..." Or "There's already lots of people working in the kitchen..." or "I'm not any good at doing that kind of stuff..." They're missing out. Yes, it is work to be involved in ministry and sometimes it causes us to sacrifice or stretch ourselves, but the rewards are beyond compare. Scripture tells us that what we sow, we will reap. So, even though I've wanted to pull my hair out a few times this summer over this new ministry position (children's director), I KNOW beyond a d...

“Problems can slow us down temporarily but they don’t have the ability to stop us. Only we have that power.” ~Wayne Cordeiro~ We are a society of blamers. When something goes wrong, our immediate reaction is to find the source, the reason, the person to blame. We point fingers everywhere but at ourselves. The reason kids are so misguided today is television, music or video games. The cause for a crime was a bad childhood. The source of our economic woes is mismanagement by bankers. But the truth is, that we choose how we live and how we respond to situations. The circumstances may be terrible, but ultimately, we choose whether or not they change our lives. I need to own up to the way I respond to problems. It's easier to just throw in the towel when things get difficult than to deal with the problem and take responsibility for my actions. Like when the kids forget their towels for swimming lessons (for the 10th time!), I can let that drive me crazy or I can calmly handle the disci...

Hey! Hope you had a great weekend. I know we sure did - it was filled with fun summery activities. These are things that everyone's childhood should contain: tree climbing, swimming at the beach, and lemonade stands. We had our village summer fun festival this weekend and the kids soaked up all the fun they could. On Friday night, they won t-shirts for singing Karaoke for the whole street party to hear and they participated in the coloring contest. We ate fried cheese curds, corn dogs and ice cream and they enjoyed watching the strong man competition. On Saturday morning, they set up their little lemonade stand in the front yard. I couldn't make the lemonade fast enough. The little guy stood on the edge of street yelling, "Lemonade - 50 cents!" No one can resist a three year old salesman. I think all three year olds should have the opportunity to start their own business :) They then were able to spend some of their profits on tiaras and candy. That afternoon, they pa...

This week, I've been thankful for some "real" life fun with people I love. Here's ONE: Yesterday morning, the kids started the day out with some Karaoke fun. The first song requested was "Shine" by the Newsboys and I smiled as the kids bounced around in the family room to this song. Our little guy then asked for his favorite: Big Girls Don't Cry by Fergie. Don't ask me why. But hearing a three year old boy sing about big girls crying is just adorable. We progressed to "Big Black Horse and a Cherry Tree" by KT Tunstill. I have no idea what she means (why not a black kitten and an apple tree?), but the kids love the "whoo-hoo" part and that's all that really matters. Whoo-hoo....whoo-hoo! And the last song, a favorite of all, "Mr. Roboto" by STYX. Oh yeah. We shine our light for Jesus in Robot style around our house. Three little robots marched around with jerky movements singing word-for-word the entire song. Here...

As I seasoned my eggs this morning, I was thinking about grace... Come read my devotion at Laced with Grace today:

“I do not know that the prodigal saw his father, but his father saw him. The eyes of mercy are quicker than the eyes of repentance. Even the eyes of our faith is dim compared with the eye of God’s love. He sees a sinner long before a sinner sees Him.” C.H. Spurgeon (Sermon based upon the Prodigal Son) When you do something like waste your parent's entire life savings and end up eating slop for dinner, you wonder if you're beyond forgiveness. What did you do that turned your stomach into a ball of knots? What sin keeps your head down and your eyes focused on the ground? Or maybe it's the kind of sin you've confessed and repented of a hundred times and you wonder, isn't God getting tired of me? When does His patience run out? How many times will He forgive me for this repetitive pattern of sin? We feel unworthy of forgiveness and so we stay put, eyes down. But when we imagine just a glimmer of God's care, and turn our faces towards home, something amazing hap...

I had quite a morning. I warn you though, that the Monk in Mommymonk has left the building. There will most likely not be any deep spiritual message in this post and I doubt I would even try to meditate upon these words. Normally, I rise early, take a walk (some days, at least), read my Bible and pray (most days) before the kids wake up and snuggle with me on the couch. Due to an overactive brain problem last night (read: insomnia) I did not sleep well and therefore rose with the kids. This might explain my backwards attitude, but then again it might not. I slapped some Miracle whip on two slices of bread (I don't know what's so miraculous about that white stuff - it doesn't spread itself or anything!), added salami and cheese and zipped it up all while my eyes were half-closed. I hope I remembered to add some fruit to my husband's lunch. Then, I fixed oatmeal, Golden grahams, and bran flakes, poured orange juice, combed tangled hair and made up the bag for swimming...

I'll be hosting "In other words" this next Tuesday. I chose a quote my husband found while preparing for his seminar on sexual purity. (He says I always steal his best stuff, but hey, what's a girl to do?) He found this wonderful sermon written by the famous preacher, C.H. Spurgeon. Meditate on these words over the next few days and come join us on Tuesday to share your thoughts about God's forgiveness. “I do not know that the prodigal saw his father, but his father saw him. The eyes of mercy are quicker than the eyes of repentance. Even the eyes of our faith is dim compared with the eye of God’s love. He sees a sinner long before a sinner sees Him.” C.H. Spurgeon (Sermon based upon the Prodigal Son)