Peaches, Peaches, I like Peaches...

Anyone else remember that game? That was a great game.

Well, I have had so many interesting comments and responses to recent posts, my brain's in overload processing it all. I never expected what God has been doing in me to change my thinking by way of this blog and all the people that have embraced it. I'm thankful to every one of you. If you haven't read the comment section of the last post, please do so post haste! You will not be sorry, and you may be changed for the better. (Name that song!)

I had a reminder from a reader-friend by way of facebook that I forgot something important in my baby-food making. (Baby FOOD making, not baby making! Ha!) She referred to the list of fruits and veggies that have the most pesticide and chemical residue on them, and PEACHES are number one. (At least on the list I have.) So I should have peeled my peaches before I pureed them unless they were organic, and I'm not positive they were. While we're on the topic, does anyone have a good way to peel peaches? Does the skin come off after a few seconds in boiling water? That works for tomatoes. I'm wondering if it would work for peaches. I guess there's one way to find out.

I have much to say today. I'm going to try to pack it all into one post, because I'm taking a week-long hiatus from facebook and blogger as I try to get in the swing of homeschool plus toddler and nursing infant. Fun times! Toddler has also decided the first week of school is as good a time as any to potty train herself, so we've had the added pleasure of toilet paper stuffing up the toilet, and a naked little bottom running everywhere. I'm sure you wanted me to share.

So, in the matter of finances, I found a good article that helped me feel a little better about the amount of money we are spending on food as a family of six. Here's the link to the article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29681240/ In a nutshell it says that from ultra-frugal to liberally spending, people very from about $550 to over $1000 a month for groceries for a family of four. Of total yearly income, around 10-12% is the average for groceries/food. Which we fall comfortably into.

In the matter of health, I'm afraid I have to admit my failing once again. With school starting, and a hip that has been hurting, I've been very lax as far as the Shred and the elliptical the past few days. I need some motivation. I can't dig up the will lately. HELP ME!

In the matter of relationships, I've been learning from this blog that when we tear down walls of criticism and judgment of others we find out lots of interesting things about the people around us. I'm learning that confrontation and discussion of important problems is necessary to tear down said walls, and that HONESTY is key. So I'm being honest even if it gives me an ulcer. You are welcome as well.

In the matter of spirituality, I just have to say that I decided to just take my mp3 player to the elliptical last night instead of netflix, and I had an awesome time of worship listening to a few amazing songs. Talk about stress relief! Go to http://sovereigngracemusic.org/ for some GREAT music (they often have free songs, you can become a fan on facebook for info), or check out the Christian section at amazon.com mp3 downloads. So much good stuff out there! My current faves: "Rock of Ages" by Sovereign Grace, "Lead Me" by Sanctus Real, "Before the Morning" by Josh Wilson, "What Faith Can Do" by Kutless, "Strong Enough to Save" by Tenth Avenue North, "How He Loves" by David Crowder Band. I have more if you want them. Just ask.

So I leave you for one week. In the meantime I'll be researching the ideas that you had for future posts. Thank you again for reading my blog and taking the time to think with me and respond. I'm grateful for how God is using you in my life.

Have a great week!

Where We Miss the Mark

Thank you to all who chimed in with topics we could discuss. There were some excellent ideas, and I'm excited to do some research and bring some of those things to you in the next few days.

I'm going to switch around the order a little, and start with the topic I promised I would get to - as a follow up to the post about "rules" we tend to treat as biblical, when in fact they are simply tradition or preference.

But as we all realize, there's another side to the proverbial coin. As important as mentioning when we have added rules, it's equally important to bring up the rules that we don't take seriously.

You know. The ones we snicker at. The ones we giggle behind our hands and act like they are cute or sassy, or the ways we really act like God got it wrong and we've decided that this or that command he gave doesn't apply to us. The Bible defines sin as "missing the mark." So we'll look at the ways we've been missing God's mark in favor of our own.

This is a hard post to write. Because admitting it surely puts me on the spot to do something about it in my own life and heart. Reading it will do the same for you, so if you prefer to remain ignorant, you may want to skip this.

Seriously. I'm about to start. Skedaddle if you're not into changing behavior.

I almost skedaddled too. Then I remembered I'm the writer.

There are lots of possibilities. But I chose three to talk about today. Two of them are very convicting for me. The first one is a pet peeve of mine that will be easier to talk about so I'll start with that one.

1.Disrespecting God's name. I grew up being taught that you should even capitalize the pronouns when referring to God. Jews don't write his name completely, leaving the "o" out and replacing it with a -, because they do not want to be in a situation where they might have to erase God's name. They also refrain from speaking it. Over and over in the old and new testaments, God reminds us that his name is powerful. Pray in it, and see miracles. Speak in it and you've given what you're about to say quite an introduction.

So how exactly do you disrespect a name? This culture doesn't take names too seriously. When you ask someone why they named their child whatever they named them, they usually say "because I liked how it sounded." Names mean something to God. He thinks through what he names people. He has hundreds of names for himself in the Word. Revelation says our name is written in his book of life when we put our trust in Christ and choose to make him our Lord.

Exodus 20:7 says "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." This seems pretty clear cut. Use it the right way or don't use it at all.

So how do we misuse God's name? It's interesting that in order for a movie to be rated "R" it has to use expletives that are considered particularly coarse by the culture, but misusing God's name is perfectly acceptable on educational pre-school cartoons. To me, the most shocking words you could use are not the ones that make my skin crawl.

Try these on for size. "Oh my God," "Oh my Lord," "Jesus Christ," "Holy [insert just about anything]," "Jesus," "God," "God Almighty," "God in heaven." We hear these A LOT and not just in church listening to the preacher pray. They are purely and simply "misusing God's name" and according to Exodus 20:7, users incur guilt.

Let's take it a step further. We have sanitized versions of the above, that even most Christians don't think twice about using. What about "Oh my Gosh," "Golly," "Lordy," "Geez," "Gee," "Oh my goodness," (I am guilty of that one, so I suppose I have some work to do on my own language as well.) There's also curse words that we use that don't take God's Word seriously, and are therefore a misuse of his words. "Damn it," (or "darn,") "What the hell," (or "heck,") "God Damn" or ("Gosh darn,") or even "Awesome," (I overdo this one) or "Amazing."

What's left to say? You ask. I ask. Well, maybe the point is, don't say anything. The Bible says "Let your yes be yes and your no be no." Probably a good idea. Not probably.

WHEW! Quotation overload. Now that we are all appropriately convicted, let's move on.

2. Gluttony (or self-indulgence). We all think immediately and only of food when we hear the word "gluttony." It is certainly enough to convict me. But there is a bigger principle involved. Our country is (WE are) excessive to the extreme in all the wrong places. We never get hungry because we are always eating. We overdose on entertainment, on sweets, on clothes, on possessions and call it being "blessed." You and I both know that when we want something, we usually get it.

The Bible says that anything we try to fill ourselves up with that isn't Jesus is going to give us problems. (For study, read Genesis 25:30-34, Numbers 11, Hebrews 12:16-17, Exodus 16:20, 21, 27, Proverbs 23:2, Daniel 5. John 4:10, Ephesians 5:15-18,James 5:5) So in order to prevent us from knowing the apathetic, lifeless, sluggish existence that comes from overdoing anything, God told us to only overdo him. Only be passionate about Christ. Only let the Spirit consume you, because if you let anything temporary replace him, you regret it.

In short - we were created to thrive on worshipping and loving God, to give him glory. If we worship or love anything else in that same way we have missed the mark and not done what is best for ourselves or him.

3. Judging. We call it other things. "Concern for." ("I'm concerned for so-and-so because of what I think they did or said or thought, so we better pray for them.) Basically, sanitized gossip. God has strong words for judgmental Christians in Romans 14. Seriously, read it. Right now. I did, and I immediately thought about all the ways I do not obey. Matthew 18 gives us the only exception. If a fellow believer SINS AGAINST YOU. And even then, the first step is to talk about it openly between only that person and yourself. Only in cases of extreme rebellion and sinfulness are issues to be brought up with anyone else.

That's incredibly convicting. I guess I've got some work to do inside.

Well, enough conviction for one day, I say! If you've got it all together in these areas, congratulations! If not, leave a comment and let me know we're on the same page and we'll keep each other accountable.

Next I'll be tackling the topic of entertainment and what God has to say about it. If I tried to do it here I'd have one of those REEEAALLY long posts and nobody likes a long winded blogger.

So until next time!

Regrets

Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable. - Sidney Harris

Regrets. First of all, I'm regretful that I told MacGyver he could finish off the salsa last night. I didn't have a chance to eat much of a lunch and it's sounding pretty good. To his credit, he did leave a little... about a tablespoon. Thanks, Honey.

But obviously that is not my sole point as you might have been able to tell from my picture and quote. I introduced you to my Grandma recently, please meet my Grandpa, Staff Sergeant Hubble in the 101st airborne.

It's not just a lack of imagination that causes me to keep going back to my roots. I'm a firm believer in learning from the mistakes of those who have gone before you. I'm also writing a novel based on my grandparent's life so I'm a bit obsessed at the moment.

There was an unspoken rule between Grandpa and everyone else in the family. Ask him to teach you how to play tennis, he'd have you on the court chasing balls within minutes. Same went for basketball, fixing cars, singing some old time country songs, exploring creeks or training animals. Ask him to come to your piano recital or high school play he'd show up an hour early and scope out a spot to videotape every gripping moment. Ask him about his parents and he'd take you to see his mom and videotape everything she had to say.

But don't ask about the war.

Who knows, maybe this was a mistaken vibe that we all received and then no one ever asked so he never spoke of it. It's possible. But in all the time I ever spent with my Grandpa, all the endless concerts he showed up for and taped like I was surely the next Debbie Gibson (Brittany Spears for all you younger folks,)I don't once remember him saying a single thing about the war.

He must have said something to someone, most likely my Grandma who spilled the beans later on, because we do know a few basic facts. He signed up to be a paratrooper. He steered himself into a tree when the colorblind test came up so he would get through anyway even though the only color he could see was yellow. He became a Staff Sergeant. He learned how to play poker and blackjack on the long boat ride over to England. (Which then to my mother and aunt's dismay he proceeded to teach every one of his nine grandchildren.) A couple of the soldiers under him were playing with a grenade when they reached their destination in England and he ended up with a leg full of shrapnel.

Oh, and everyone in his group died in North Africa. Everyone except him.

As I've been considering the mind of my grandparents for this book, I'm starting to see a picture of who this man I so adored might have been. He started out a scrawny little baby, weighing in at 3 pounds at birth. I think he spent the rest of his life trying to prove he was strong enough. And when he came home and lived to be 86 and all of his comrades never saw American shores again, I think he felt guilty.

I look at all the things that happened and know that obviously God was protecting him, because he had a different plan for his life. His plans included a wife, two daughters, nine grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren (and counting.)I'm not so sure that's the way Grandpa saw it. He saw a group full of men he was responsible for who all died fighting a fight he was supposed to be a part of because he wasn't able to stop those men from fooling around that day.

If I'd had the audacity to ask while he was still here, and if he'd told me this, I'd tell him that he was the biggest, bravest grandpa a girl ever had. That I was proud of his patch, his jump wings, and his purple heart, and that he was a good soldier.

I'm sure Jesus has told him as much. I don't think he's sweating it too much these days. But I'll take his regret and apply it to the things that bug me the most in this life, and share them with my children no matter how hard it might be.

I see God's faithfulness in the lives my grandparents lived. I see him continue to work in the lives of those of us that follow behind them. And I think of the words my Grandpa's pastor spoke to him once upon a time when Grandpa asked why God doesn't answer all of our questions. Something to the effect of:

"Isn't he big enough that you can learn to trust him to ascertain when you need to know something and when you don't?"

Thanks for the legacy, Grandpa. Proud of you. Love you.

The Way He Does It

My, my, I had quite a few interesting responses yesterday. Not too many "Oh, wow, me too" comments, though, so I feel a little like a moron. I guess it's time I accept the truth. It's liberating admitting your worst faults. A few said they weren't afraid of me. I should revisit the thought and clarify that it was more likely a fear of dealing with me than an awed, reverent sort of fear. A fear as in "Oh, no, here she comes and she's got that look on her face... run!"

Well, here I come and I have that look on my face.

Not really.

Today's the day I'm supposed to talk about spiritual matters. Something's been rolling in my brain the past few days and I have to let it out. Prepare for disjointed ideas that didn't even originate in my head.

We went to Parkside Church in Cleveland when we were visiting family over the weekend, as is our practice. If you are ever in the Solon, Ohio area on a Sunday you should stop by, they have a great ministry.

Pastor Begg was talking about the way we relate to and tell others about Jesus. He pointed out that Jesus never shook sinners by the shoulders and warned them of eternal damnation. When Jesus talked about Hell, he spoke quietly to his own disciples who already followed him and had no reason to fear. Jesus spoke of Heaven to sinners. To those who were lost in sin he was a cheerleader, to those secured by faith in him, he gave the solemn warning.

Why do you think that is? Pastor Begg's only point was to say that we are going about sharing our faith irresponsibly if we think that the way to lead someone to Christ is by shaking our finger in their face and foretelling their doom. But I've been thinking about it and came up with a couple reasons why Jesus might have taken the approach he did. I'm fairly sure he warned his people about hell because he wanted us to take our job as his ambassadors seriously. But why did he focus on Heaven with those that had yet to trust?

First of all, if you're just angry that I have the audacity to speak of Hell, let me first say that we all are aware there are consequences for actions. It is the way of this world. When wrong is done to someone, justice has to be meted out. Those who break the laws do not get a free pass from punishment, and if they do, we all feel that injustice has been done. And if you are proceeding with the thought that you have never done anything to break the laws of the land (or you haven't been caught anyway) than you must consider that if there are laws made by man, how much more appropriate would be the laws of the Creator, and how much more sensitive would a being of perfection be to sin than those of us who are used to it?

All of that being said, I come around again to say that Jesus apparently didn't feel that it was necessary to cajole people who didn't know him about eternal fire. He wanted them to know about everlasting life and peace instead. He wanted them to know they were loved enough to have someone pay the price in their place and live eternally at his own expense. Why? I think it's really important to God that we choose him for ourselves. He won't give us every proof, every documentation of His good intentions and promises of forever because if He did, then we wouldn't be making a choice of our own free will. Just the same, he doesn't want people to trust him because if they don't they'll be sorry. He wants them to trust in Him for the sake of his love.

Speaking from experience, AFTER a heart is placed in the hands of the Savior, the proof, the faith, the documentation surfaces. There is no way to explain this to someone who doesn't know it from living it. When a tiny step is taken toward God that is humble and acknowledging of wrongdoing, God covers the distance left in between that soul and everything they ever needed.

Either you know exactly what I mean, or you're doubtful. Or confused. All of us simply must know this: God is love. And the soul who trusts in Him will never be ashamed.

It was written in His book just that way so many years ago. And it's still true, and the truth stands so firmly above all that would rage against it here below.

As Pastor Begg summed up, so shall I: "Trust God, and get going."

Weedy Thoughts

I'm staring out my window in extreme disapproval. The drenching rains from yesterday watered my garden for me, for which I am extremely thankful, but they also watered those pesky weeds. Those pesky, 4 foot high weeds. That I pulled not two weeks ago.

Honestly, how does a useless, harmful plant grow without any effort whatsoever while some of my carefully planted and tended vegetable plants can struggle even after all my labor? Why can't it be the other way around?

We all know that is the way of this life. It seems like evil is forever looming over good, no matter how hard we work to create the opposite effect. I rest in the fact that it won't be that way forever. But in the meantime, I'm not allowed to rest in fighting it.

I have to go pull those weeds today, no matter how many other things I have to do. While I'm doing it I'm going to think about the negative things in me that I should probably tend as well. I've been pretty sarcastic with MacGyver lately. I have been known to yell quite loudly at my children (at one particular child) while I'm trying to feed John and basically helpless to discipline. I know there are plenty more weeds in my garden, but I'm going to try to work on pulling those because they are probably the biggest at the moment.

Anyone else? Am I alone? It does seem like everyone else's physical gardens look better than mine, so it's quite possible that I'm the only one with 4 foot weeds inside as well. (Wink wink!)

Oh, and no matter what anyone tells you - baby poop turns cloth diapers yellow. It really must be rinsed off. Lessons from cloth diapering. (If I had time I could apply this to the weed analogy...)

Because it Matters

Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out. - Sportscaster Jack Buck

A good blogger has all the answers. Right? If blogging is supposed to be done by brilliant philosophers who have figured everything out, I guess I should erase this attempt at a blog and keep dreaming. But if there's a chance someone with weeds in her lawn, messes in her closets and kids who didn't get their hair brushed today could offer anything of value, it can't hurt to give it a try.

The above quote intrigues me, because I want to know if it's really true. It sounds good, right? In fact, it's the way I've been trying to live for the past few years. It's easy to see the problems in a home, especially when you started out with such grand expectations of perfection. I would become the model wife - able to keep up with her looks even while giving birth to four children in six years, able to be a cheerful and happy spouse even while hormones swirl out of control within on a regular basis... yes, you get the picture. Probably because you've been there too. I'm sure I'm not the only less-than-perfect-looking, exceptionally hormonal wife and mother on the planet. But is there any way to improve every aspect of you and your family's life in a deliberate way? Can any family with so much to do and so many people and events to keep track of really make a positive change with lasting effects? Can I really make the best of it? Can you?

The Project begins. The categories of improvement will be finances, (you know, the never ending battle to decide what's more important - gas or food, vacation or charity, etc.) going green, (the what and why of things such as recycling, organics, and the almost insurmountable mountain of trying to live all-naturally... is it really worth it?) social lives, (all inclusive how can we improve every relationship in our life?) health, (is there any alternative to conventional medicine? is there any hope for true healthy living in this culture?) and finally, the spiritual. (Does it really make a difference to find faith and live it? Where does a family look for God? What does real faith look like and is it an impossible dream?)

I'll try to post once in each category a week for the next year. I shouldn't say try. As Jillian Michaels says "Trying is just planning to fail." Alright, Jillian, let me rephrase (she can't see my eyes rolling) (Please excuse my hostility as I started "30 Day Shred, Level 1" yesterday and I can't move without groaning in pain...) ... ANYWAY, I commit to post one time a week in each category for a total of 5 posts a week, and if I fail, if my hormones are swirling I may cry a little and then I will apologize and attempt to catch up despite the fact that I have FOUR CHILDREN...

Enough said. Now for your commitment. Become a follower, read my quandaries and decide what you'd like to try yourself. Let me know with your comments what you're working on and what you've found works great.

So don't make me feel like I'm the only one. Please post what you are thinking. Please let me know you're reading.

Back to a ridiculously busy life. We'll get started on those pesky economical problems tomorrow.