I love remodeling-redecorating! Like they say 'Out with the old, in with the new!' We have just moved from South Dakota to Missouri so our house is just waiting for that special touch to make it into a home! For years now I have been collecting wall paper and border waiting for just the right room to use it in.
A few months ago my husband had to work out of town and I told myself I would find a project to occupy my time instead of pining for him! My laundry room was the perfect place to start. It is small, only 4'x8' and in desparate need of a woman's touch....with a white washer and dryer with stark white walls....color was needed!!! With the help of my children I painted the walls Highland Dales (which I would liken to a dark chocolate milkshake color). Now to add the border and some decore'. I even changed the position of the washer and dryer...instead of having one in each corner facing out I angled them diagonally from each corner not only making them easier to access but also giving it a nicer look.
The laundry room is located right off of our family room...so when I sit on our couch I can see it out of the corner of my eye. I had been running errands one day and came in and just sat down for a moment to catch my breath. As I was looking at the room and thinking of the time I spent fixing it up God brought something to mind. Just as I enjoy decorating or redecorating or remodeling so God likes to do that in our lives and hearts. Sometimes it is necessary for Him to show us things we need to get rid of as shown in Hebrews 12:1 'Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.' It isn't always easy...in fact quite the contrary. But if we allow the Lord to do the remodelling in our hearts it will be well worth it! And as my laundry room brings me satisfaction of a job well done and is pleasant to look at (for me) so we will be to the Lord! 'For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.' Ephesians 2:10
Monday, August 8, 2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
What Is In Your Special Box?
When I was in highschool our youth pastor showed a video in Sunday school one morning. A rose was passed around the room and everyone took one petal. When it got down to the front every petal was gone. It went from a beautiful rose to something that looked sad and used up. The analogy was made that everytime you are 'with' someone (either intimately or emotionally) you give a little bit (or alot) of yourself away to that person. It's funny that I remember that one lesson out of the four years I was in the youth group...that was 20 years ago...it made a big impression. My momma also told me that when ever you kiss someone, you are kissing everyone they've kissed......GROSS!!!!!!!! Parents use funny scare tactics sometimes!
Barry and I want to raise our children with a different perspective of dating and relationships than what we had. We want to take it to the 'next level' so to speak...the best level, actually...the Biblical level. God began dealing with our hearts to teach our children (which we only had 3 at the time) not to play the dating game. It has ruined SO many lives!! There is alot of pressure from the world to have a boyfriend or girlfriend at such early ages. Why would we want our children to focus on this? Look at the divorce rate, teen pregnancy, and the amount of abortions...dating is just laying the floor plan for these unnecessary tragedies.
One day the Lord brought something to mind....kindof expounding on the 'rose' concept. You only have ONE first kiss....ONE first time that you hold hands...ONE first hug....and ONE first 'time'. Most people know where the Bible stands on the latter one...but what about the others? Read ICorinthians ch 7. It would be good to look up S.M.Davis and get his messages on courtship and dating! But this is what I came up with. Your heart is like a very special box. And everyone has been given these very special 'first things' that are in your special box. Who are you going to give them away to? You can only give them away once!!!! We are encouraging each one of our children to give them to their spouse on their wedding day! Can you imagine having saved EVERYTHING for your spouse instead of just one thing?
What if you haven't?! Repent and ask God's forgiveness and make a covenant with Him that from this day forward you will save yourself for your spouse! And God will give you back the years that the locusts have eaten!!!
Barry and I want to raise our children with a different perspective of dating and relationships than what we had. We want to take it to the 'next level' so to speak...the best level, actually...the Biblical level. God began dealing with our hearts to teach our children (which we only had 3 at the time) not to play the dating game. It has ruined SO many lives!! There is alot of pressure from the world to have a boyfriend or girlfriend at such early ages. Why would we want our children to focus on this? Look at the divorce rate, teen pregnancy, and the amount of abortions...dating is just laying the floor plan for these unnecessary tragedies.
One day the Lord brought something to mind....kindof expounding on the 'rose' concept. You only have ONE first kiss....ONE first time that you hold hands...ONE first hug....and ONE first 'time'. Most people know where the Bible stands on the latter one...but what about the others? Read ICorinthians ch 7. It would be good to look up S.M.Davis and get his messages on courtship and dating! But this is what I came up with. Your heart is like a very special box. And everyone has been given these very special 'first things' that are in your special box. Who are you going to give them away to? You can only give them away once!!!! We are encouraging each one of our children to give them to their spouse on their wedding day! Can you imagine having saved EVERYTHING for your spouse instead of just one thing?
What if you haven't?! Repent and ask God's forgiveness and make a covenant with Him that from this day forward you will save yourself for your spouse! And God will give you back the years that the locusts have eaten!!!
Monday, August 1, 2011
My Love Story part 5
My friend Becky and I left the radio station first. We went to her house and waited for her husband and Barry to arrive. I was very nervous and praying all would go well! When the men arrived we all seated ourselves in their living room. It was mostly small talk and then Becky and Dwayne excused themselves so that Barry and I could have some time to talk. Then the interviewing began!!!! We were both asking each other questions concerning our salvation and our standards..as well as that very important question...'Have you saved yourself for your spouse?' It is quite funny that I had completely forgotten about those 2 times during my senoir year that God told me to pray for my husband's purity. We both agreed that we did not want to date. This was for keeps! We both agreed that the Lord had brought us together (I was NOT about to tell him that God told me he was the one for me...that was just too presumptuous!!) and that after questioning each other in detail we were certain that we were being led of the Lord to pursue a relationship.
We started talking to each other after church services...and he would call me in the evenings (he would drive 30 minutes from base...Camp leJeune...and talk to me from a pay phone) and we had him over for Sunday dinner once or twice(before my dad was home for good). My Momma and I were keeping my Daddy up to date with all of the details. My brothers (especially Jon) were SO funny!! Our family always holds hands when we say the blessing over our meals...Jon always made sure that either him or one of my other siblings were sitting in between Barry and I so we wouldn't hold hands!!! I was very thankful for their protection of me!!!
My Dad surprised us one weekend by coming home unannounced. I was looking forward to introducing Barry to him...but not for the reason you might be thinking! Barry seemed almost too good to be true!! He seemed very honest and sincere, a true gentleman (always getting the door for me or any other lady), polite, etc. While in high school we had a rule at our house when someone wanted to take me or my step-sister out on a date...they had to call my dad and not only ask his permission but go through grilling! When my Dad first put this into effect we were horrified...then we started enjoying it...at least I did!!! And I was ready for my Dad to put Barry through this! I wanted to see what he was made of!!! So after church, Barry came up to me and my Dad and I introduced them...then the unexpected happened...before I could do or say anything my dad said, 'You have my blessingl.' I was absolutely shocked...then wondering what on earth Barry thought I must have told my Dad! My parents had always reassured us that my Dad was a good judge of character...and he was always right...but this was just NOT how I wanted things to go!!! I wanted my Dad to make him sweat!!!!
Well, the rest is history!!!
But what about the 2 different times that God told me to pray for his purity...well fast forward a few years. We courted for a year, were engaged for a year (waiting to marry when his service was up in the Marines) We moved to Pennsylvania and joined the church where he grew up. We helped out on the bus route, in Jr.Church, I was a monitor in the school he went to. Then the Lord blessed us with Rex!!! When I was about a month or 2 along we went to visit Barry's biological mom at a camp ground near Gettysburg. PA. I started asking him about his service in Okinawa,Japan. Then we started to do the math...when he was over there I was beginning my senior year! Then the Lord brought those 2 times to mind. I started asking him if he ever had any temptations while he was over there (he wasn't saved at the time) He then began to tell me that the guys would always tease him about his purity and when out on the town they would try to pressure him but he always stood his ground. He said that on 2 different occassions he told himself before they went out that he didn't care anymore...if the situation presented itself, then so be it! And it never did! They would always see women of ill repute...except for those 2 times that he threw caution to the wind...the 2 times that God told me...a young lady thousands of miles away...to pray for her husband's purity! And I did..not knowing who he was or were he was. I fervently prayed that God would put a hedge of protection about him and keep him pure for me...and he did!!!!!!!!!! And God will hear and answer your prayers, too!!!!!!!!
We started talking to each other after church services...and he would call me in the evenings (he would drive 30 minutes from base...Camp leJeune...and talk to me from a pay phone) and we had him over for Sunday dinner once or twice(before my dad was home for good). My Momma and I were keeping my Daddy up to date with all of the details. My brothers (especially Jon) were SO funny!! Our family always holds hands when we say the blessing over our meals...Jon always made sure that either him or one of my other siblings were sitting in between Barry and I so we wouldn't hold hands!!! I was very thankful for their protection of me!!!
My Dad surprised us one weekend by coming home unannounced. I was looking forward to introducing Barry to him...but not for the reason you might be thinking! Barry seemed almost too good to be true!! He seemed very honest and sincere, a true gentleman (always getting the door for me or any other lady), polite, etc. While in high school we had a rule at our house when someone wanted to take me or my step-sister out on a date...they had to call my dad and not only ask his permission but go through grilling! When my Dad first put this into effect we were horrified...then we started enjoying it...at least I did!!! And I was ready for my Dad to put Barry through this! I wanted to see what he was made of!!! So after church, Barry came up to me and my Dad and I introduced them...then the unexpected happened...before I could do or say anything my dad said, 'You have my blessingl.' I was absolutely shocked...then wondering what on earth Barry thought I must have told my Dad! My parents had always reassured us that my Dad was a good judge of character...and he was always right...but this was just NOT how I wanted things to go!!! I wanted my Dad to make him sweat!!!!
Well, the rest is history!!!
But what about the 2 different times that God told me to pray for his purity...well fast forward a few years. We courted for a year, were engaged for a year (waiting to marry when his service was up in the Marines) We moved to Pennsylvania and joined the church where he grew up. We helped out on the bus route, in Jr.Church, I was a monitor in the school he went to. Then the Lord blessed us with Rex!!! When I was about a month or 2 along we went to visit Barry's biological mom at a camp ground near Gettysburg. PA. I started asking him about his service in Okinawa,Japan. Then we started to do the math...when he was over there I was beginning my senior year! Then the Lord brought those 2 times to mind. I started asking him if he ever had any temptations while he was over there (he wasn't saved at the time) He then began to tell me that the guys would always tease him about his purity and when out on the town they would try to pressure him but he always stood his ground. He said that on 2 different occassions he told himself before they went out that he didn't care anymore...if the situation presented itself, then so be it! And it never did! They would always see women of ill repute...except for those 2 times that he threw caution to the wind...the 2 times that God told me...a young lady thousands of miles away...to pray for her husband's purity! And I did..not knowing who he was or were he was. I fervently prayed that God would put a hedge of protection about him and keep him pure for me...and he did!!!!!!!!!! And God will hear and answer your prayers, too!!!!!!!!
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