The Youtube cartoon series based on the Beginners Bible storybook is just as good as the Bible storybook itself, sticking closely to the Biblical account without too much embellishment and providing great visual support to the well-loved Bible stories. Jacie watches them daily and repeatedly -- it's the only thing she wants to do when she gets on the computer anymore!
Monday, June 30, 2014
Jacie's Latest: Favorite Screen Time Activity
The Youtube cartoon series based on the Beginners Bible storybook is just as good as the Bible storybook itself, sticking closely to the Biblical account without too much embellishment and providing great visual support to the well-loved Bible stories. Jacie watches them daily and repeatedly -- it's the only thing she wants to do when she gets on the computer anymore!
Friday, June 27, 2014
8 Lessons in 8 Years of Marriage (Pt. 2)
#4 - Trust God and Expect the Unexpected!
Life never happens as you expect on your wedding day. Infertility happens. Jobs change. Callings emerge. Even the person you marry changes over time. The one constant is God Himself. And, thankfully, the character of the man I married hasn't changed. Through life changes and disappointments, I've learned to trust in God more, but I've also learned that I can trust my husband. His character has shone steady and his commitment has been true. How grateful I am!
#5 - Where he leads, I (ought to) follow.
My husband's leadership is God given and conveys a wisdom I don't always immediately "get." Those times I have pushed ahead against Conroy's better judgement, the outcome has always come back to bite me. Not because Conroy holds it over me or does anything, but because time and circumstances prove him to be right. This lesson has recently come home to me and is one from which I'm determined to learn.
#6 - Even the best of marriages take work.
In our marriage, we can easily coast. Our personalities are quite compatible and we are both laid back people in a lot of ways. But when we coast too long, we drift apart. We need the occasional check-in of a one-on-one date night, of a healthy "state of the union" discussion, of intentional daily times together. Unfortunately, it usually ends up being a fight that precipitates the "healthy discussion." Our goal is to get to the place where these discussions take place out of an ongoing passion to keep our marriage strong and not just arising out of conflict.
#7 - Give each other plenty of space and room to grow.
One night in a discussion with one of our young adults after Bible study, I overheard my husband say that he does a lot of "overlooking" in our marriage. I didn't get offended. It's true. He does overlook my faults and chooses to love me anyway. In a good marriage. I believe both spouses get good at "overlooking" the faults of the other -- not in a "winking at sin" kind of way, but in a "love covers a multitude of sins" kind of way.
#8 - Reminisce and dream together.
I love to relive our romance and look forward to our future. Often our date nights consist of dreaming and setting goals for the future -- ministry goals, financial goals, and family goals. This was a key component to our connection while we were dating and the way we love to continue to relate. It keeps us connected and growing in the same direction. There's little else more bonding than making plans with someone and reviewing where you've been together.
8 years -- a mere drop in the bucket compared to so many -- I can't wait for the next 80 and beyond!
Life never happens as you expect on your wedding day. Infertility happens. Jobs change. Callings emerge. Even the person you marry changes over time. The one constant is God Himself. And, thankfully, the character of the man I married hasn't changed. Through life changes and disappointments, I've learned to trust in God more, but I've also learned that I can trust my husband. His character has shone steady and his commitment has been true. How grateful I am!
#5 - Where he leads, I (ought to) follow.
My husband's leadership is God given and conveys a wisdom I don't always immediately "get." Those times I have pushed ahead against Conroy's better judgement, the outcome has always come back to bite me. Not because Conroy holds it over me or does anything, but because time and circumstances prove him to be right. This lesson has recently come home to me and is one from which I'm determined to learn.
#6 - Even the best of marriages take work.
In our marriage, we can easily coast. Our personalities are quite compatible and we are both laid back people in a lot of ways. But when we coast too long, we drift apart. We need the occasional check-in of a one-on-one date night, of a healthy "state of the union" discussion, of intentional daily times together. Unfortunately, it usually ends up being a fight that precipitates the "healthy discussion." Our goal is to get to the place where these discussions take place out of an ongoing passion to keep our marriage strong and not just arising out of conflict.
#7 - Give each other plenty of space and room to grow.
One night in a discussion with one of our young adults after Bible study, I overheard my husband say that he does a lot of "overlooking" in our marriage. I didn't get offended. It's true. He does overlook my faults and chooses to love me anyway. In a good marriage. I believe both spouses get good at "overlooking" the faults of the other -- not in a "winking at sin" kind of way, but in a "love covers a multitude of sins" kind of way.
#8 - Reminisce and dream together.
I love to relive our romance and look forward to our future. Often our date nights consist of dreaming and setting goals for the future -- ministry goals, financial goals, and family goals. This was a key component to our connection while we were dating and the way we love to continue to relate. It keeps us connected and growing in the same direction. There's little else more bonding than making plans with someone and reviewing where you've been together.
8 years -- a mere drop in the bucket compared to so many -- I can't wait for the next 80 and beyond!
Thursday, June 19, 2014
8 Lessons in 8 Years (Pt. 1)
Next week will be our 8th Wedding Anniversary. We'll be skipping town for a long weekend away, so I thought I'd post an anniversary blog before "going dark" for a few days...
In 8 Years of Marriage, I've learned....
#1 -- Marriage is easier than I expected.
Yes, you read that right. So many articles, blog posts, and books talk about how difficult marriage is, and I'm not denying that it can be very difficult. For us, it's just not, though. I braced myself and expected difficulty -- lots of it -- partially because I'd read so many of those books prior to getting married and partially because as a PK (pastor's kid), I'd seen the painful realities of marriage for so many people. Maybe Conroy and I are just really, really compatible or maybe it's because of all the reading we'd done beforehand (and during) and all the introspective conversations we've had (and still do have), but marriage is far more fun, fulfilling, and just easier than I'd anticipated.
#2 -- Marriage is not a cure-all.
You know that song that asserts that once you're "going to the chapel, and we're gonna get married... you'll never be lonely again"? It's a lie. Marriage doesn't mean instant or constant intimacy. It doesn't fulfill every ache, need, and desire. Only Jesus meets our every need. I'd read and thought I understood this concept, too, before I got married. So I felt mentally prepared, but I guess I still expected to never be alone on a Friday night again, at least. To always have "date nights." But many a Friday night, I've spent alone. Or at least not on a date. In my case, I chose ministry life and a ministry husband, so I don't resent that he's often gone. I'm proud of his calling and I love our life in ministry. But marriage doesn't mean constant companionship. And some nights, I'm still lonely.
#3 -- I'm selfish and I'm impatient.
Maybe the rest of you already knew that, but I thought I was a fairly patient and self-sacrificing person before I got married. God has used marriage like a mirror to accurately show me the depths of my heart. I love me more than anything else. Humbling to admit, but true. Nothing makes me more angry than Conroy messing up my mental timeline/deadline -- whether it's communicated or not. Schedules and timetables are not his strong suit, and in eight years of marriage, I've come to believe that God gave him this particular foible as the Divine Sandpaper to persistently rub away at my sharp edges. (God does that, you know. He designs your partner's weakness to chip away at you, to sculpt you into His image.) Knowing this truth doesn't always translate into loving, patient behavior on my part, sadly. I'm still a work in much need of progress.
The constant reminder of my own sin does make it easier for me to forgive Conroy when he sins against me. I often think, "How in the world can I hold [this or that] against him when I just responded so irritably a minute ago? And he responded lovingly to me anyway? I have no right get mad at him for [this other issue]!" Seeing myself as I really am is a surprising grace in our marriage.
In 8 Years of Marriage, I've learned....
#1 -- Marriage is easier than I expected.
Yes, you read that right. So many articles, blog posts, and books talk about how difficult marriage is, and I'm not denying that it can be very difficult. For us, it's just not, though. I braced myself and expected difficulty -- lots of it -- partially because I'd read so many of those books prior to getting married and partially because as a PK (pastor's kid), I'd seen the painful realities of marriage for so many people. Maybe Conroy and I are just really, really compatible or maybe it's because of all the reading we'd done beforehand (and during) and all the introspective conversations we've had (and still do have), but marriage is far more fun, fulfilling, and just easier than I'd anticipated.
#2 -- Marriage is not a cure-all.
You know that song that asserts that once you're "going to the chapel, and we're gonna get married... you'll never be lonely again"? It's a lie. Marriage doesn't mean instant or constant intimacy. It doesn't fulfill every ache, need, and desire. Only Jesus meets our every need. I'd read and thought I understood this concept, too, before I got married. So I felt mentally prepared, but I guess I still expected to never be alone on a Friday night again, at least. To always have "date nights." But many a Friday night, I've spent alone. Or at least not on a date. In my case, I chose ministry life and a ministry husband, so I don't resent that he's often gone. I'm proud of his calling and I love our life in ministry. But marriage doesn't mean constant companionship. And some nights, I'm still lonely.
#3 -- I'm selfish and I'm impatient.
Maybe the rest of you already knew that, but I thought I was a fairly patient and self-sacrificing person before I got married. God has used marriage like a mirror to accurately show me the depths of my heart. I love me more than anything else. Humbling to admit, but true. Nothing makes me more angry than Conroy messing up my mental timeline/deadline -- whether it's communicated or not. Schedules and timetables are not his strong suit, and in eight years of marriage, I've come to believe that God gave him this particular foible as the Divine Sandpaper to persistently rub away at my sharp edges. (God does that, you know. He designs your partner's weakness to chip away at you, to sculpt you into His image.) Knowing this truth doesn't always translate into loving, patient behavior on my part, sadly. I'm still a work in much need of progress.
The constant reminder of my own sin does make it easier for me to forgive Conroy when he sins against me. I often think, "How in the world can I hold [this or that] against him when I just responded so irritably a minute ago? And he responded lovingly to me anyway? I have no right get mad at him for [this other issue]!" Seeing myself as I really am is a surprising grace in our marriage.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Our Summer So Far....
She asked me how many kids I wanted to have. "I would have liked to have had at least four, but that's probably not gonna happen," I answered honestly, biting back the sigh of infertility.
Incredulously, she looked at me and exclaimed, "Four kids! Then you'd never have room for all of us!"
And there it is. The truth. God's plan. Because just maybe I'm supposed to have room for the kids who have nowhere else to go. Maybe that's what He wants for our lives instead. So instead of a houseful of young children, we have:
College students and extended family filling our home...
Trips to the DMV and driving practice in the parking lot...
Impromptu graduation party with volleyball, football, soccer in the yard...
Trips to the mall because the AC broke...
Wedding bubbles celebrating the holy matrimony of special friends...
Long, lazy, sunshine-drenched days....
Strolls through flea markets and farmers' markets...
Dollar ice cream cones from Burger King....
Late night movies with teens and twenty-somethings piling in our living room...
Living the God dream -- the One He has wrought -- so satisfying, so blessed. Our home is full and our hearts are full; we are so in awe of what happens when His hands gently remove our plans and replace them with His own.
Incredulously, she looked at me and exclaimed, "Four kids! Then you'd never have room for all of us!"
And there it is. The truth. God's plan. Because just maybe I'm supposed to have room for the kids who have nowhere else to go. Maybe that's what He wants for our lives instead. So instead of a houseful of young children, we have:
College students and extended family filling our home...
Trips to the DMV and driving practice in the parking lot...
Impromptu graduation party with volleyball, football, soccer in the yard...
Trips to the mall because the AC broke...
Wedding bubbles celebrating the holy matrimony of special friends...
Long, lazy, sunshine-drenched days....
Strolls through flea markets and farmers' markets...
Dollar ice cream cones from Burger King....
Late night movies with teens and twenty-somethings piling in our living room...
Living the God dream -- the One He has wrought -- so satisfying, so blessed. Our home is full and our hearts are full; we are so in awe of what happens when His hands gently remove our plans and replace them with His own.
Monday, June 16, 2014
Glimpses of Glory
We see it in the glowing faces of the newlywed couple -- passion, excitement, joy radiating from their very beings.
It's in the moment a newborn child, long- desired and prayed for, is placed in the outstretched arms of a first time mother -- desire fulfilled.
It's felt in the moments we see our children, or those we've mentored and poured our lives into, make right choices. It's in the bursting pride we feel.
Glimpses of glory. Heaven breaking through for a second, shining its light on our shadowy world. But just glimpses. Never really pure joy. Hardly unadulterated. Because how can Joy not be tinged with sadness? Not be mingled with life's disappointments?
Behind the newlywed smiles lurks impossible expectations just waiting to be dashed. At every joyous occasion, smiles mask the pain of disappointment.
The newborn answer to his mama's prayers may soon break her heart with his rebellious ways, or at the least, present a whole new set of worries and vulnerabilities unique to parenthood.
The pride we feel in our children is mingled with all the fears for their continued well being and the sadness of another child's failure.
Rarely do we know joy without feeling at the same time the hurt we've had to overcome to get to this place, the lingering ache in another area. A promotion at work may have meant strain on a relationship at home. The golden anniversary celebration represents lots of hard work and tears -- sorrow mingled with joy.
Until heaven, glimpses of glory is all we get. Little sweet foretastes of glory divine. But always, always tinged with the groaning of creation longing for perfection.
It's in the moment a newborn child, long- desired and prayed for, is placed in the outstretched arms of a first time mother -- desire fulfilled.
It's felt in the moments we see our children, or those we've mentored and poured our lives into, make right choices. It's in the bursting pride we feel.
Glimpses of glory. Heaven breaking through for a second, shining its light on our shadowy world. But just glimpses. Never really pure joy. Hardly unadulterated. Because how can Joy not be tinged with sadness? Not be mingled with life's disappointments?
Behind the newlywed smiles lurks impossible expectations just waiting to be dashed. At every joyous occasion, smiles mask the pain of disappointment.
The newborn answer to his mama's prayers may soon break her heart with his rebellious ways, or at the least, present a whole new set of worries and vulnerabilities unique to parenthood.
The pride we feel in our children is mingled with all the fears for their continued well being and the sadness of another child's failure.
Rarely do we know joy without feeling at the same time the hurt we've had to overcome to get to this place, the lingering ache in another area. A promotion at work may have meant strain on a relationship at home. The golden anniversary celebration represents lots of hard work and tears -- sorrow mingled with joy.
Until heaven, glimpses of glory is all we get. Little sweet foretastes of glory divine. But always, always tinged with the groaning of creation longing for perfection.
Longing for the Joy to be made full.
To be complete.
To be unadulterated.
Friday, June 13, 2014
Five Minute Friday: Messenger
"Don't Shoot the Messenger!" the warning often leaves the lips of the bearer of bad news. Why is it that the message become inextricably bound up in the messenger? Why is it so hard for most of us to disassociate the message from its messenger?
The message I'm glad I get to be associated with is the best message of all, though. Bearing good news is something we do gladly, willing to associate ourselves with our news. Paul says in Corinthians that we are ambassadors of the gospel of reconciliation. What a wonderful thing to be associated with! We get to be the bearers of good news! We get to be involved in the great reconciliation process -- reconciling a lost world to a Loving Savior!
The message I'm glad I get to be associated with is the best message of all, though. Bearing good news is something we do gladly, willing to associate ourselves with our news. Paul says in Corinthians that we are ambassadors of the gospel of reconciliation. What a wonderful thing to be associated with! We get to be the bearers of good news! We get to be involved in the great reconciliation process -- reconciling a lost world to a Loving Savior!
What gladsome tidings we bring! What a great thing it is to be a messenger of the King!
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Food Frugalities, Pt. 2
Last night's meal:
Baked chicken legs and thighs -- Perdue has hormone free, healthier chicken, so I feel pretty good about this recent switch. 10 lbs. lasts us almost two weeks and costs about $11 or $12. I simply season them with a garlic herb mixture, and Conroy adds his famous Jamaican Jerk sauce concoction.
Stir fry cauliflower and broccoli -- I heat these frozen veggies in a skillet, drizzled with coconut oil and seasoned with whatever I have on hand - Mrs. Dash, Oregano, Seasoned Salt, Garlic/Onion Powder, etc.
Instant Brown Rice -- a staple for my husband, as well as the one item that Jacie will always eat if she eats nothing else.
Commentary: Perhaps even cheaper than the tuna patties, this meal rings in somewhere between $3 and $4 total, figuring the chicken at $1 per meal and bags of frozen veggies which can usually be found for $1 each. The instant rice is $1.50 a box, as mentioned in my last post, and we use only about half a box or less per meal.
Baked chicken legs and thighs -- Perdue has hormone free, healthier chicken, so I feel pretty good about this recent switch. 10 lbs. lasts us almost two weeks and costs about $11 or $12. I simply season them with a garlic herb mixture, and Conroy adds his famous Jamaican Jerk sauce concoction.
Stir fry cauliflower and broccoli -- I heat these frozen veggies in a skillet, drizzled with coconut oil and seasoned with whatever I have on hand - Mrs. Dash, Oregano, Seasoned Salt, Garlic/Onion Powder, etc.
Instant Brown Rice -- a staple for my husband, as well as the one item that Jacie will always eat if she eats nothing else.
Commentary: Perhaps even cheaper than the tuna patties, this meal rings in somewhere between $3 and $4 total, figuring the chicken at $1 per meal and bags of frozen veggies which can usually be found for $1 each. The instant rice is $1.50 a box, as mentioned in my last post, and we use only about half a box or less per meal.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Food Frugalities
In an ongoing effort to live within our means and allow me to stay home the majority of the time with our daughter, Conroy and I make a consistent effort to trim and tweak our grocery budget since that's one of the few areas that we can control (as opposed to rent and other set bills). Summers especially call for a little budget-tightening since we temporarily lose some of our "cushion" income during these months. Our conversation just yesterday combined with seeing yet another post on money saving tips for living frugally prompted me to this post.
Contrary to some who protest that eating healthy is more expensive, I've found it to be quite the contrary. Perhaps this post may lead to its own page or series, we'll see. Over eight years of marriage and, in recent years, the additional process of eliminating processed foods from our diet, I've found several tried and true meal plans and shortcuts that make it possible for us to eat on about $50-$60 a week, even with 2 international students, making 5 of us total. I'm still and ever on the hunt to perfect and improve, so I'd love to hear interaction and feedback on this subject!
Last night's meal:
Tuna patties -- eggs, tuna, oatmeal, salt, pepper and whatever sauce you have on hand (I used soy sauce)
Sweet potato fries -- cut one large sweet potato into thin strips and pan-fried in butter or coconut oil, sprinkled with nutmeg and cinnamon. (YUM!)
Instant brown rice
Commentary: My family raves about the tuna patties, and they are so cheap! Even my picky three-year-old eats them (with a dollop of ranch)! At 68 cents a tin (I used 4), you can't beat this price for dinner! The sweet potato costs a dollar, and it fed all of us with leftovers. I used half a box of the rice ($1.50 a box), and we had leftovers of that, as well. So the 4 of us ate for $5.50 altogether! Can't beat that!
What's your best tried-and-true, healthy, cheap meal?
Contrary to some who protest that eating healthy is more expensive, I've found it to be quite the contrary. Perhaps this post may lead to its own page or series, we'll see. Over eight years of marriage and, in recent years, the additional process of eliminating processed foods from our diet, I've found several tried and true meal plans and shortcuts that make it possible for us to eat on about $50-$60 a week, even with 2 international students, making 5 of us total. I'm still and ever on the hunt to perfect and improve, so I'd love to hear interaction and feedback on this subject!
Last night's meal:
Tuna patties -- eggs, tuna, oatmeal, salt, pepper and whatever sauce you have on hand (I used soy sauce)
Sweet potato fries -- cut one large sweet potato into thin strips and pan-fried in butter or coconut oil, sprinkled with nutmeg and cinnamon. (YUM!)
Instant brown rice
Commentary: My family raves about the tuna patties, and they are so cheap! Even my picky three-year-old eats them (with a dollop of ranch)! At 68 cents a tin (I used 4), you can't beat this price for dinner! The sweet potato costs a dollar, and it fed all of us with leftovers. I used half a box of the rice ($1.50 a box), and we had leftovers of that, as well. So the 4 of us ate for $5.50 altogether! Can't beat that!
What's your best tried-and-true, healthy, cheap meal?
Thursday, June 5, 2014
The Delight of Her Face
The slope of her nose.
The dark lashes against her cheek.
The perfect arc of her furrowed brow, intense with concentration.
The wispy, dark curls that spring loose from her tightly bound hair.
The delicate outline of her lips puckered as she focuses.
The long legs reaching for the sky as she swings on the playground.
The dimple in her elbow bare to the sun in summer short sleeves.
The long legs reaching for the sky as she swings on the playground.
The dimple in her elbow bare to the sun in summer short sleeves.
All of these details I drink in as I watch her. Uninhibited and unaware as she will never be again in her life. Baby roundness still dominates her features while her limbs give away the slow fade from babyhood to childhood.
"Almost gone," the words whisper like a harbinger in my soul. "Drink it in now," the warning continues, "before this moment, this phase, is irrevocably gone."
So I do, with greedy desperation.
I look and watch and soak in the incredible details of the baby face I still can't believe is my child, freeze-framing each moment in a futile effort to still the hands of time.
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