I Have a Dream!

Martin Luther King is not the only to ever have a dream, I do too! I have a dream that someday I'll find a church that focuses less on which version of the Bible I read, and more on loving the world.

I have a dream that someday I'll find a church where all people are accepted and loved. I have a dream that someday I'll find a church that focuses on loving the individual first, and offering gentle correction second. Yes, part of our job is to help our brothers and sisters grow, move away from their struggles and into my obedience with Christ. A bigger part is to love each other. The Holy Spirit will do the chastising, but we are called to love.

Think of Jesus. A mob found a woman in the act of committing adultery and brought her to Jesus, expecting him to publicly chastise her, but that isn't how Jesus responded. Jesus chastised the crowd!  Then, when they had some privacy he looks to her with LOVE and then says "Go, and sin no more" Love first, lesson second.  

Many churches today are focused on "Don't do this" or "That's EVIL, how dare you DO that and call yourself a believer!" That is not loving!  Yes, there are absolutes, things that are right and wrong. Too often though we take the sin and in our fear of the sin we make everything around it evil.  The Bible clearly states "Do not get drunk on wine" and all of a sudden drinking is a sin. NO- drunkenness is the sin. If drinking was a sin the Bible would say "Do not drink wine" but it doesn't.

Sex outside of marriage is a sin, and therefore we've made sex INSIDE the confines of marriage seem dirty too. It isn't! Sex is a God prescribed act, not only for procreation but to also draw the spouses together. Sex should be fun, crazy, creative, intimate, etc. Yet, it is seen as dirty because when used wrong it is a sin.

I also think of single parents that I know. A lot of them are not single by choice, yet when they show up alone to church, or with their kids and no spouse the church judges. Maybe not out loud, or to their face, but the church judges "Look here comes Sally Mae, did you know that she doesn't have a husband! I just bet I know why!" or "Look at Billy Bob with his two kids, I bet his wife left him because he can't keep his pants zipped." We think those thoughts (or similar ones) and we don't bother to get to know the person. It could be that divorce happened, but it could be that Sally Mae lost her husband in Afghanistan or due to an illness, or maybe he was abusing her and the kids and she got out.

One of my heartbeat issues is abortion. I abhor that it is legal and a daily practice. Yet, as much as I shout my hatred for the ACT, I still love the woman. I know that there are many circumstances where you find yourself between a rock and a hard place and in a time of GREAT emotional upheaval, fear, coercion, etc, you go to the clinic. That isn't going to change my love and respect for you as a person, as a child of our Creator. You need to go and sin no more.

Am I the perfect Christian? GOSH NO! I live with myself and I know that I am an utter failure and totally in need of God's grace and forgiveness, on a daily basis. I screw up and sin all the time. I fail in my quest to perfectly serve my Lord. Yet, that doesn't stop me from trying, from dreaming, from looking and saying THIS NEEDS TO CHANGE! It needs to change in my life and in the church as a whole.

I want to be better, to better reflect Christ, to better serve those that I love and have a heart for. I want to see the church, which I love do a better job. I really want Christ to come back so we can end our struggles and just focus on bowing down and serving our Savior, King, Bridegroom.

Till that, I will shout what I believe, I will continue to dream that we can all grow and learn to focus on what really matters to our Savior, and I will continue to seek His heart & life, so that my heart can reflect His. I will continue to teach my daughter to grow up serving the Lord, and enjoying the Lord.

-JLP-
And with that, I quietly step off my Soapbox! ;-) 

Tick Tock

In 7 days my little Punky Jr. will be 7 months old! I can hardly believe how fast 2012 is going. It really is true that time seems to speed up when you become a parent. There is so much to enjoy, so many little "firsts" that happen in the first couple of years that it makes time seem to whiz by. There is so much love in our house right now and it is amazing.

We are also on the final stretch of a home remodel, and I am going to do a major happy dance when it is all finished! My hubby has been doing an amazing job, but I know that he is going to celebrate as well when it is all finished and he can relax a bit.

In the midst of everything Punky Jr. continues to grow and the milestones continue to happen. She rolls over quite a bit now (95% of the time she waits till no one is looking though), she can sit up (in the tripod position) and is getting stronger at sitting straight up. Her legs are quite strong and we think in just a few months she will be walking. She isn't much of a crawler, because she isn't a fan of being on her tummy, but that is ok. She loves to eat and so far she eats just about everything we let her try! I love how adventurous she is with food at this stage.

To top it off, her love is evident in her smiles, giggles and all the cuddles she freely gives out everyday, to anyone. I am savoring these moments because I know that much too soon she will be older and not want to cuddle all the time, and someday (FAR FAR) in the future she will have a family of her own and won't even be around to cuddle.

For now I am enjoying having a sweet, funny, giggly, cuddly, oh so smart little Snowflake in my house. I may not get the house as clean as I'd like as quickly as I'd like, but the house and the dust bunnies are not going anywhere, and my little Snowflake, miss Punky jr. is growing up and this mommy cherishes cuddles and giggles more than a dust free mantle or shiny bath tub faucet.

-JLP-

Take time to just BE with your family, to enjoy the love and camaraderie of togetherness. Too many things draw us away from each other, so make today (or as soon as y'all are together) a family day.

Rest In Peace Jazmine

Mommy & Daddy with Jazmine

Before lunch today my husband and I had to make one of life's tough decisions. Our pug, a sweet, crazy, little runt that my beloved has had since she was a puppy, was very sick, in a lot of pain and so we had her put down. It was heart wrenching for both us.  Digging the grave, putting her in it, covering it up, and putting the headstone in the ground, not easy.

One of the bright spots throughout the gloomy day (and yes it was a stormy day today) was our daughter. At almost 7 months old she doesn't understand the finality of what happened today, she won't even have any of her own memories of Jazmine. Today was just another day, and a special one because Daddy was home all day on a weekday.

Tonight as I was putting Punky Jr. to bed I started crying again, because I know that Jazmine isn't in the office playing with daddy as he winds down. I know she isn't following me around as I do our bedtime routine. Her body is buried on the corner of our property. She isn't with us anymore, she DIED. It was as I was thinking those gloomy thoughts and how much I hate death that some truths came to mind.

I don't just hate that our dog died, I hate that dear friends and family members have died. I hate the finality of death. For Christians death is a home coming, when we die we enter Heaven, a glorious, eternal home. Yet, we leave behind so many people that love us, people that will miss us and mourn. Death is final, you don't come back.

My thoughts drifted toward God and how much God must hate death. God is eternal, God created us in His image as eternal beings. Death is not in the original plan. Death is awful, and God hates it. God hates that when a person dies if they have not accepted His gift of salvation through Christ, they go to Hell-- a real and eternally horrid place. God hates death. Yet, being a just God, a perfect God He has to punish sin.

Since God hates death and doesn't want to see anyone wind up in Hell God decided to do something about it. God came down to earth in the form of Jesus, lived among us, experienced what humans experience (except for sin. Jesus never sinned) and DIED a gruesome death, a humiliating, beyond painful death. Then Jesus came out of that tomb fully alive to show that even something as final and powerful as death has no power over Him!

That is how much God hates death. He hates it so much that even though we all have to experience it, He made way for even death to be a good thing--- it is our vehicle to Heaven. We just have to agree that death sucks and say "Thank you Jesus for defeating death, for taking my sin and making it your own, so that when I have to die I get to be with you forever." That is how we take our death and make it wonderful.

Yes, saying good-bye is NEVER going to be easy, it means that person (or animal) is no longer around to talk with, play with, experience with. Death sucks for those of us left behind. We have a void that was not designed to exist. We have to go on, to continue to say "Even so Lord I trust in You, You are my comfort". The more we loved the person the harder that is to do, but if we focus not on our pain but on their reward that suckiness becomes a little less and if we trust Christ, eventually the wound begins to heal. The scar is always there because death is unnatural and it wounds-- Christ will always bear the wounds of His death.  Yet, each day we go on we get a little bit better, we learn to feel the comfort Christ offers, we find ways to fill the void, and we focus on earning our rewards when it is our turn to die.

So, Jazmine I'm sorry that you were sick. I'm sorry that you had go. Mommy and Daddy love you so much, you were such a sweet, crazy, sometimes aggravating (you never did totally learn that your bathroom was outside), but always loved. You brought so much joy to our home and we will always have wonderful memories. Now, go and run, enjoy no longer being in pain, meet all your new playmates and don't forget us! We love you!!!

-Jessie-

Making A Mess

I so wish that I had a picture of tonight's digging activity with Punky Jr. I thought it would be fun (and educational) for her to do some digging. Well, it was raining and dark outside so we were inside. I poured some oatmeal in a tupperware container and put a few toys in there for her to find.

The toys were different sizes and the oatmeal was a texture that she hadn't played with before. She giggled as she dug around and she flung the oatmeal all over her play mat. It was a lot of fun to play with her and watch her exploring and learning. I love how everything is exciting and fun at her age. It brings joy to this mom to watch my daughter play and learn.

Afterward I had to do some sweeping, but it was worth it to have a fun half an hour with my daughter. I've poured the oatmeal into a ziplock bag so we can play with again! It was a cheap and fun way to get some learning into our rainy evening.

-JLP-

6 Months... ALREADY!

Celebrating the USA

6 months ago Punky jr. and I were released from the hospital and my little 5 day old baby girl would finally get to see her home, and I would get off the yucky hospital bed and into my own comfy bed. It was an exciting and scary day. It was exciting because it was the beginning of a new chapter, and scary because it was the beginning of a new chapter!

I have been around babies and children my whole life and I just love them. It is totally different when it is your own child though! Every cough is not just a little cough, it is something to worry about. Every smile is more special, and while the diapers still stink, you don't change them because it is a chore, but because you want your little angel to be clean and comfortable, so the task isn't quite so hard (but they still stink). It is scary to think that your child is totally dependent upon you.

So far she is 6 months (and 5 days) old and she is doing well. She smiles A LOT, giggles A LOT, and has always slept through the night. She is the best sleeper in the house. She has rolled over a few times, but isn't really a roller. While she is starting to tolerate tummy time, she isn't crawling yet, and might not do much crawling. She loves to be on her feet and dancing. Singing and dancing are two of her favorite activities, and in order to have the energy she eats A LOT. I am happy to report that most things she eats she loves. She is not picky!

These last 6 months have been hard and wonderful. A lot has happened outside of our role as parents and that has been really rough. We have had a full 6 months, full of life, death, stress, challenges, fear, forgiveness and growth, but then we look at Punky jr and we remember that we are so blessed to have her in our lives. She really does brighten our days (and empty our wallets--it begins from day 1 of conception)! I know most parents say this but it is true--- time really does speed up, these have been the fastest 6 months of my life (which is ok since the 6 months prior were some of the slowest waiting to hold her in my arms).

We will continue to revel in our job of being new parents and we will not worry that we are typical new parents, taking 1000's of photos (that is mostly me) and a few videos! If you don't want to look, you don't have to! We will continue to fret over the little things (and the big ones). Mostly, we will continue to love the little blessing and take joy in watching her grow, develop and become the woman God has designed her to be. It happens fast, but it is a great journey.

-JLP-

May y'all have a blessed week! 

Staycationing

We have all been affected by this new economy that the world is living in. It makes it harder to achieve the "American Dream". Too many of us think that since we can't get rich we should just give up. That is Satan talking to you, spreading lies.

Yes, being rich and not having to worry about how the bills are going to get paid would be nice. It would be nice to be able to afford to go on a couple of family vacations each year, to explore this world. Yes, it would be nice to be a lavish tipper. Yet, it is ok not to be able to do everything. I have been struggling with this, so today's post is more of a pep talk.

Just because my friends can afford to go to places and do fun things with their families does not mean that Hubby and I are bad parents. It just means that we get to be more creative. We also have to focus on the blessings. Our kitchen is getting a much needed make-over, and we are going to my sister's wedding soon. So, it may not be Busch Gardens or Disney, but as long as we celebrate being a family and make things fun, a staycation can be great!

Part of living joyfully and having victory over my past means that I look for the blessings in each day. Today for example, it is a pretty quiet day at my house. Hubby is off at work, and Punky jr. and I are having a quiet day at home. We sang songs, we played, we watched an episode of Andy Griffith, and we are working on learning to crawl. Now, as she naps it is time for me to catch up on my blog, work on editing my book and trying to figure out the cover art, and maybe catching a nap myself.  The blessing in today is that when I glance up from my screen I see my daughter sleeping. That precious little girl is mine, a gift from God to her daddy and me! So, while I want to give her the world, right now I focus on making our little corner a place of laughter, fun, love and growing in Christ.

Someday maybe we will be able to travel a little bit, but for now it is staycations and I have actually learned ways to make that fun! We can build cars out of boxes and have our own drive-in movie night! We can decorate each bedroom to represent a different locale and learn about different places, we can learn about all the history right here in VA. There is no need to go into debt or to beat yourself up because others can do what you can't. That is a fact of life.

So, in this new economy it is hard to get by and make ends meet, but that doesn't mean we give up. We keep going and we get creative!

-JLP-

What are doing to make the summer fun and interesting at home?

God's Camera

Why I battled the storm

Friday night was a harrowing night for me. The evening started out so innocently. It was the last night of VBS at church and it was a BLAST! We had a big water-slide set up for the kids. It was a wet and wild evening, full of laughter and smiles.

Then, with hardly a whisper of warning a derecho storm attacked the area. I saw that clouds darkening and felt the wind, so I ran to my car to head home and weather the storm with my family.  We live about 25 miles from our church and those 25 miles felt more like 100! No sooner had I entered the interstate and the full fury of mother nature was lashing out. My car was surrounded by lightning, thunder shook the area, and the wind did her best to blow my car off the road.

I turned on my worship album and just prayed over and over again, "Lord please get home to my family. I just want to be with my family, please." It was a plea of fear from a child to her daddy to protect her. As I prayed, drove and the weather attacked I knew in the midst of even this the Lord was with me. His eye was on me, His hand was covering my car.

Somehow amidst the fallen trees and other debris I was able to navigate my way home. As soon as I pulled into our driveway I said, "Thank you Lord. I'm here." I got out of the car and rushed inside to hug my husband and cuddle my daughter. I have never felt so thankful for those two faces! It felt so good to be with my family. The storm raged on outside downing power lines and leaving us in the dark, but it didn't matter-- God had delivered me home.

We ended up being without power from Friday night till lunch time on Tuesday. While it was a headache it was survivable. I had my family and we were all safe. Then, today I received an e-mail from my aunt and it contained a little story that I just love.

"One day a little girl was walking home and a thunderstorm came up, so her mom jumped into the family car to pick her daughter up. When the mom came upon her daughter she noticed that each time a bolt of lightning would flash her little girl would pause and look up at the sky. When the child was in the car the mom asked her about this. "Well mom, God was busy taking my picture so I wanted Him to see me smiling."

What a great picture of lightning--God's camera flash! Friday as I was driving home through the raging storm, God was taking my picture!

-JLP-

How do you picture storms? Do you see them as something to fear like I did, or as an opportunity to smile at Jesus as the little girl did?