The part my husband likes...

... I talk. A lot. I used to talk even more, but sometimes, when I get excited, nervous, etc. I talk. I talk too much, reveal too much information. It's bad. So, when God tells me to shut up. He really likes it. Lately, I have been reminded by the Lord (through prayer and reading) that sometimes it isn't always best to speak your mind right away. Pray about it. Wait until the emotions are a little less raw, until the anger has faded a bit. Then speak.

I have to tell you it works. Prayer works.

When I get (irrationally) angry about the fact that there are school books and computers all over the dining room table, I now pray. A month ago, I would have nagged about how it's annoying, would you please clean that up... etc. Recently, I quit nagging about it. I started praying instead. If it was a big deal, then something would happen and it would be fixed. -------Two days ago, Not the Momma decided he needed to find a cheaper desk to put upstairs to do his school work on. Coincidence? I choose not to believe in that. I choose to believe that prayer worked in this case.

The bible study group I go to (See that link over there --> PWOC? Yeah, that's it) has an international conference coming up. A chance to learn more about myself. Something I've been considering for a while. I didn't have the money. So I prayed about it. I didn't whine to my husband about not having the money, or worry about it. I said "Lord, if you want me to go to this, you're going to have to help me find the way." Oh, does the Lord ever know me! I got a paycheck last week for enough money to cover the conference and then a bit extra. If I had gotten that paycheck any later, it would have been too late. Had it come too much earlier, it would have been spent on other things. Coincidence? I choose not to believe that. I choose to believe that the Lord wanted me to go to this conference. I choose to believe that is the reason why I received my paycheck the exact week I needed it and not a day before or after.

These are just the most recent examples. There are countless times that my prayers have been answered. Even when I was doing more asking than thanking, more taking than giving. Have you had a prayer answered recently? Even a small one?

*P.S. The part my husband likes -- is when I shut up. And stop nagging him about stuff. He likes that. A lot. And it works!

Marriage -- It's not for wussies!

If you haven't noticed, I've been without 'stuff' to say lately. That doesn't mean that I don't miss being here. It feels like it's been weeks since I've posted something. It's been since Wednesday.

I went to a new church with a friend this morning. It was wonderful! One of the things I've been praying about is the whole 'submit to your husband' thing. You know, the Bible says "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body." (Ephesians 5:22-23). I know a lot of feminist women that would read that and stop right there and say.. "Well, I'm not going to do that! I'm not going to SUB-MIT! to my husband." I know. I used to be one of them. But then, keep reading:

"Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her" (Ephesians 5:24-25)."So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does His church... Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself and let the wife see that she respects her husband." (Ephesians 5:28-29, 33)

Well, that tells the husbands what they are supposed to do doesn't it? A husband is not supposed to be domineering, violent, or demanding. A husband is supposed to love, honor and cherish his wife. Just as Christ does the church. A man is never supposed to do terrible things to his wife. He is to treat her as he would treat his own person. While a husband is the biblical head of the household and his wife, it is not to be misunderstood that he has complete power over her. He is NOT to abuse his wife. Period. "For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does His church."

I am blessed to have a husband who follows these principles. He loves, cherishes, and honors me. Sometimes, I do not return that favor. I am not always very nice, especially after a particularly long day of MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM ringing in the background of the onslaught of telephone calls, emails, housework, cooking, and chasing that is my daily life. I have given so much of myself to others, that I have nothing left to give to him. He works hard to provide for us all day, and lately when he's come home it's been to a very tired and very crabby me. I am short-tempered, impatient, and mean. Something had to give. So that is the reason why I've been absent. It has been good for me to take a few days off. My batteries are re-charging, and hopefully I'll be back to my bloggy self shortly.

Not the Momma, no matter how crabby I am at the end of the day, I love you. I am glad you are home. I hope you are enjoying the meal I prepared while lovingly thinking of you. I want to enjoy the time we have together before you return to sea duty. I really do love you. For you. And not just because the Bible says I should. (*wink!)

Grace through Faith

This week was a rough week. I have been stressing about things. My house isn't clean, it is so disorganized that I feel sometimes like I'm losing my mind. I swear, sometimes I've already lost it. Not the Momma will surely attest to that. This week was one of the weeks where you'd think I'd lost it.

I take that back. YOU, who see me on the Internets or in real life out walking around, you might not have known that. At the end of last week, I retreated into my home to deal with sick children, laundry, cooking, and organizing. And at the beginning of this week -- it's all done. The house is a mess again, the organizing is gone, there is more laundry to be done. Sometimes it feels as if I'm in it all alone. That's why I need my Tuesday mornings. Tuesdays I'm reminded that I'm not the only woman out there trying to take care of all of this. I get together with women who believe the same things I believe, and we sing, fellowship, and learn more about God and his Word.

This Tuesday, though, things didn't go my way. I didn't get to stay for the entire lesson, because Little Monster wasn't feeling well. I tried to stay as long as I could, but he was getting restless, and would not stay in child care. So I left early. When I returned, I returned to a house that was in shambles. The trash was taken out, but no liner was replaced, dirty dishes were in the sink, the floor desperately needed a sweep and a vacuum, the dogs would not stop barking outside, but inside, they were under-foot, tripping me at every turn. Little Monster calling "mom, mom, mom, mom, mom" wanted to finger paint, and I.... I admit that I wasn't a very good person. I spent a lot of time yelling. Yelling at the dogs to SHUT! UP! Little Monster ended up in time-out because he wouldn't sit in his chair.

I realized that I needed help. It wasn't help that I could get from a person, either. Because really, my house wasn't in terrible shape, I just needed to spend a few minutes tidying. Little Monster wasn't really being naughty, he was just tired of sitting in his high chair. He's ready for a 'big-boy' chair. The dogs, well, they were just being dogs. I didn't need to yell at the dogs or put Little Monster in time-out. I was the one throwing the temper tantrums. I needed the time-out. So I did it. I put myself in time-out. Little Monster went into his room to play, the dogs were busy sulking in their beds and I went to the living room. I prayed. I picked up my bible, and opened it. I had written down some verses to be read months ago. I had lost it inside the Bible, but I found it. The next one that wasn't crossed off was Ephesians, Chapter 2. You can read it below:

1"And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the songs of disobedience, 3among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7that in the ages to come He might show the
exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lets anyone should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

The words that I needed to hear, were right there. Right there, waiting for me.

8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lets anyone should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.


For BY GRACE you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the GIFT OF GOD, not of works.

Suddenly, the dirty dishes in the sink, the disorganized dining room stacked with books, the laundry that needed to be folded, they became a little easier to tackle. The To-Do list on the fridge didn't get any shorter, but the items on it didn't seem so daunting. I was a bit humbled. We were put here to do good things, not in order to get on God's good side, but because, even if we make mistakes, even if we're not perfect, if we believe, we're already there.

Each Sunday I will post a 'Sunday Message' with the intent of sharing something the Lord has taught me during the week.

Hypocrisy?

A few days ago, as I was leaving my neighborhood, I noticed I was following a car that had a K-LOVE (a Christian radio station) bumper sticker. Right next to that bumper sticker, was the license plate. The license plate cover said "U hit Me, I Hit U Back." OH THE HYPOCRISY!

One of the best arguments non-Christians have against the Christian religion is the hypocrisy that reigns among us. I'm not talking about people who make honest mistakes, or give in to temptation every once in a while. I'm talking about the people who are Sunday-only Christians. They are the holier-than-thou type that judge others (which they are not supposed to do -- I admit, I have caught myself doing it at times), and treat others poorly.

Christians are not perfect. We make mistakes, we sin. It's what happens, we're human. But we try not to. Or we're supposed to try not to. Period. When we do, we recognize that we have sinned, and ask for forgiveness. And because we ask, it is given.

Back to the license plate cover. A couple of weeks ago, I was in church, and the message was about how Christians are not supposed to seek revenge. Three times the bible says "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth," (Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20, and Deuteronomy 19:21). So, if someone hits you, You hit them back, right? Right? No. Matthew 38:42 says:

38"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'[g]
39But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the
right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue you and
take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41If someone forces you to go
one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn
away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

The other day, our pastor talked about the act of revenge and what the Old Testament says about that whole 'eye for an eye' phrase. These were laws set up to protect people from over-zealous revenge. If you took someones eye, you were going to lose no MORE than your eye as punishment. You were not to be killed for it. It was set up as a limit to the revenge that you could exact, the justice you could seek, not as a starting point.

I have a hard time with the whole revenge thing sometimes. Revenge feels good, especially at first. But what does it do to your heart? Isn't it better to kill with kindness? To be an example to the people who are treating you poorly by being exceptionally nice to them? Shouldn't we be treating our enemies as our friends? It's hard, very hard to be nice to people who are nasty to you. But it does show them a good example of Christianity.