Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Ancient Word Wednesday...delayed
I promise I didn't forget. AWW - Hannah #3 will get here tomorrow...I hope.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
28 weeks!
Welcome to the third trimester...only 12 weeks left till we get to meet this little guy! The 2nd trimester was so comfortable, but it's like a switch flipped this week. Sitting just isn't as comfortable anymore. I have to sit up very straight because he's getting so high. I always knew I had a short torso, but now our little Party Animal knows that too. He's definitely growing straight forward and starting to spread out to the sides. As long as the "sides" he spreads on are the sides of my waist and not my hips he can spread away!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Ancient Word Wednesday
Last week I promised that Hannah was going to take several installments...and I do mean several. Here's Hannah, Godly Mommy, Part 2.
Hannah means "grace, a fitting name for her. 1 Samuel 1:6 says that "her rival provoked her severely to make her miserable." (Oh, I could rabbit trail here! Her rival was her husband's other wife. Women can be so awful, and I can not imagine the pain, aggravation, and frustration of living in the same household with your rival. Besides that, her rival's children were running around, reminding Hannah of her barrenness. Talk about making a marriage difficult!)
While I am sure Hannah was not perfect, the only response that the Bible tells us is that year by year when her family went up to worship at the Tabernacle, she wept and fasted. (Again, an opportunity to rabbit trail into the subject of worship. Her pain must have been such an obstacle for true worship but also such an opportunity for God to comfort her heart. Back to the subject of her response...) The Bible does not tell us that Hannah responded in anger to her rival or her husband. It does not tell us that she grew bitter. In fact, the results of the trial years down the road show quite a different response.
To give her husband credit, he did his best to show his love for Hannah. We know that she is the beloved wife. The commentaries say she was probably the first wife, but her barrenness was the reason for a second wife. Each year at the Tabernacle Elkanah gave her double portions of food to show his love and care, but the worship times were so painful for Hannah that she did not eat. Finally one year he said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than 10 sons?" (1 Sam. 1:8). Easy for him to say, he had sons!
Look at Hannah's response here. She didn't lash out at him or defend her grief. She didn't insult him or belittle his importance to her. The Bible says in verse 9 that she simply arose and went to the tabernacle to pour her heart out to the Lord. After her prayer, verse 18 says she "went on her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad." She left her grief and heartache at the throne of grace.
Hannah is such an example of true grace. She submitted to her husband, and she left her heartache with the Lord.
I'm ashamed at how often I respond otherwise. When I'm stressed or upset, far too often my husband is the first to hear of it and then the Lord. And even then, it's an effort to leave the hurt before Him. It's a discipline to first pour out my heart to the Lord and go on my way with a peaceful countenance. And then, when I'm calm and if it's necessary, I can share with my husband.
What about you? Any tips on mastering this discipline?
Hannah means "grace, a fitting name for her. 1 Samuel 1:6 says that "her rival provoked her severely to make her miserable." (Oh, I could rabbit trail here! Her rival was her husband's other wife. Women can be so awful, and I can not imagine the pain, aggravation, and frustration of living in the same household with your rival. Besides that, her rival's children were running around, reminding Hannah of her barrenness. Talk about making a marriage difficult!)
While I am sure Hannah was not perfect, the only response that the Bible tells us is that year by year when her family went up to worship at the Tabernacle, she wept and fasted. (Again, an opportunity to rabbit trail into the subject of worship. Her pain must have been such an obstacle for true worship but also such an opportunity for God to comfort her heart. Back to the subject of her response...) The Bible does not tell us that Hannah responded in anger to her rival or her husband. It does not tell us that she grew bitter. In fact, the results of the trial years down the road show quite a different response.
To give her husband credit, he did his best to show his love for Hannah. We know that she is the beloved wife. The commentaries say she was probably the first wife, but her barrenness was the reason for a second wife. Each year at the Tabernacle Elkanah gave her double portions of food to show his love and care, but the worship times were so painful for Hannah that she did not eat. Finally one year he said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than 10 sons?" (1 Sam. 1:8). Easy for him to say, he had sons!
Look at Hannah's response here. She didn't lash out at him or defend her grief. She didn't insult him or belittle his importance to her. The Bible says in verse 9 that she simply arose and went to the tabernacle to pour her heart out to the Lord. After her prayer, verse 18 says she "went on her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad." She left her grief and heartache at the throne of grace.
Hannah is such an example of true grace. She submitted to her husband, and she left her heartache with the Lord.
I'm ashamed at how often I respond otherwise. When I'm stressed or upset, far too often my husband is the first to hear of it and then the Lord. And even then, it's an effort to leave the hurt before Him. It's a discipline to first pour out my heart to the Lord and go on my way with a peaceful countenance. And then, when I'm calm and if it's necessary, I can share with my husband.
What about you? Any tips on mastering this discipline?
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Ahhh... Saturday
I love Saturdays. Especially Saturdays when I get to stay home and tackle a list of long-awaited want and need to-dos. Even better a Saturday that's warm - 69 degrees to be exact - on the last day in January.
IB's room looks much better than it did this morning. His crib and dresser got a good wipedown. His closet has wire cube shelves. Our office looks much worse than it did a few hours ago, but it's all worth it. Randy just brought in the new 6 ft. tall bookshelf. I can't put anything on it for a week to let the paint cure, but the shelf looks awesome, and I can see a very clean and organized office in my near future.
There are still a bunch of to dos on the list, but the day's not done and I'm already feeling better about things! Happy Saturday!
IB's room looks much better than it did this morning. His crib and dresser got a good wipedown. His closet has wire cube shelves. Our office looks much worse than it did a few hours ago, but it's all worth it. Randy just brought in the new 6 ft. tall bookshelf. I can't put anything on it for a week to let the paint cure, but the shelf looks awesome, and I can see a very clean and organized office in my near future.
There are still a bunch of to dos on the list, but the day's not done and I'm already feeling better about things! Happy Saturday!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Ancient Word Wednesday
Godly mommy #2: Hannah
This one is going to come in several installments. Hannah was a pretty amazing lady and full of lessons.
For this installment I want to take a step back from her story in 1 Samuel 1 and 2 to one of the things I learned at the end of my study of Hannah. It's easy to get caught up in the details of her life - she was the more beloved of two wives but she was barren. The other wife provoked her mercilessly for her childlessness. And then one day God answered her prayer for a son, who she raised for two or three years before she fulfilled her vow by devoting him to serve the Lord in the tabernacle. Believe me, I learned plenty from the details, but one thing stands out - Hannah's life was not about her.
Wide-angle lens - Hannah lived during the time of the judges in Israel. Judges 21:25 ends that book with the simple statement, "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." In other words, the Israelites were disobedient and did not love God with all that they were as they were commanded in Deuteronomy 6. This included the priests at the tabernacle. Eli, the high priest, was a decent guy, but his two sons were evil. 1 Samuel 2:12 says they were corrupt and "they did not know the Lord." They cheated the people and did horrible things. So even those who were supposed to lead the people in worship of the Almighty God did what was right in their own eyes.
But God had perfect timing in all of this. He knew just the right time to bring baby Samuel on the scene, even if it meant that Hannah struggled with barrenness for years (He had a reason for that too!). He had a perfect plan to use Samuel mightily to bring the people back to true worship of Him.
Lesson #1 from Hannah - It is not all about me.
I've not struggled with barrenness, but I have known the pain of losing a baby early in pregnancy and the fear of losing IB with complications early on. One thing the Lord taught me through both of those experiences is that it is not all about me. I am simply apart of His greater, bigger, more glorious plan. One thing that underscored this was learning that my mother-in-law lost a baby between Randy and his older brother. If she had not lost that baby, Randy would not be here to be my wonderful dear husband. (I feel a little like Back to the Future here.) It made me wonder about the plans that God has for IB's life, about the wife he will marry, and the things God has for him to do. No, it's not all about me. It's not even about Randy or IB. It's about God. It's about His glorious, sovereign plan. He does according to His good pleasure, and His plan is perfect...even when it doesn't feel that way.
This one is going to come in several installments. Hannah was a pretty amazing lady and full of lessons.
For this installment I want to take a step back from her story in 1 Samuel 1 and 2 to one of the things I learned at the end of my study of Hannah. It's easy to get caught up in the details of her life - she was the more beloved of two wives but she was barren. The other wife provoked her mercilessly for her childlessness. And then one day God answered her prayer for a son, who she raised for two or three years before she fulfilled her vow by devoting him to serve the Lord in the tabernacle. Believe me, I learned plenty from the details, but one thing stands out - Hannah's life was not about her.
Wide-angle lens - Hannah lived during the time of the judges in Israel. Judges 21:25 ends that book with the simple statement, "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." In other words, the Israelites were disobedient and did not love God with all that they were as they were commanded in Deuteronomy 6. This included the priests at the tabernacle. Eli, the high priest, was a decent guy, but his two sons were evil. 1 Samuel 2:12 says they were corrupt and "they did not know the Lord." They cheated the people and did horrible things. So even those who were supposed to lead the people in worship of the Almighty God did what was right in their own eyes.
But God had perfect timing in all of this. He knew just the right time to bring baby Samuel on the scene, even if it meant that Hannah struggled with barrenness for years (He had a reason for that too!). He had a perfect plan to use Samuel mightily to bring the people back to true worship of Him.
Lesson #1 from Hannah - It is not all about me.
I've not struggled with barrenness, but I have known the pain of losing a baby early in pregnancy and the fear of losing IB with complications early on. One thing the Lord taught me through both of those experiences is that it is not all about me. I am simply apart of His greater, bigger, more glorious plan. One thing that underscored this was learning that my mother-in-law lost a baby between Randy and his older brother. If she had not lost that baby, Randy would not be here to be my wonderful dear husband. (I feel a little like Back to the Future here.) It made me wonder about the plans that God has for IB's life, about the wife he will marry, and the things God has for him to do. No, it's not all about me. It's not even about Randy or IB. It's about God. It's about His glorious, sovereign plan. He does according to His good pleasure, and His plan is perfect...even when it doesn't feel that way.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Blocks & Cupcakes
We threw a baby shower for a good friend today. She's due March 2, they are also having a boy and also decorating the nursery with a farm theme. We hope our boys will be good friends.
She wanted us to keep the food simple for the shower, so we did cupcakes, mints, nuts, and punch. I wish I had a picture of the cupcakes. Another friend decorated them with pigs, sheep, and chickens. Very cute. I made minis with grass and sunshines (is that a word?). I also stretched my cake decorating abilities (doesn't take much!) with the grass. Randy ran to the store for me this morning and picked up a grass tip. It was pretty easy, but took a little to get the hang of it. It made me want to sign up for a cake decorating class. I'll have to do that...at least before IB's first birthday, so I've got awhile.
Also, I'm posting a picture of the cloth blocks I made a couple weeks ago. I made them as a gift for this shower, so I couldn't post before. I have some really cute fabric for blocks for IB, and I'm looking forward to a free Saturday, so I can make them.
***************
And please bear with the redecorating. I'm playing, and it's not quite where I want it yet.
She wanted us to keep the food simple for the shower, so we did cupcakes, mints, nuts, and punch. I wish I had a picture of the cupcakes. Another friend decorated them with pigs, sheep, and chickens. Very cute. I made minis with grass and sunshines (is that a word?). I also stretched my cake decorating abilities (doesn't take much!) with the grass. Randy ran to the store for me this morning and picked up a grass tip. It was pretty easy, but took a little to get the hang of it. It made me want to sign up for a cake decorating class. I'll have to do that...at least before IB's first birthday, so I've got awhile.
Also, I'm posting a picture of the cloth blocks I made a couple weeks ago. I made them as a gift for this shower, so I couldn't post before. I have some really cute fabric for blocks for IB, and I'm looking forward to a free Saturday, so I can make them.
***************
And please bear with the redecorating. I'm playing, and it's not quite where I want it yet.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Ancient Word Wednesday
On Sunday morning we sang a hymn "Ancient Words," a song I've sung in church plenty of times. This time "Ancient words of our faith handed down through each page" inspired me (besides helping to prepare my heart for the sermon). I've been thinking about how MUCH I gain from my quiet times in God's word and how little I share what He's been teaching me. So welcome to Ancient Word Wednesdays where I get to share a little of what God speaks to me through His awesome Word. I realize I'm going to have keep this up, but I'll do my best.
Back in November I started studying some of the godly mommys of the Bible to prepare for mommyhood. I started with Moses' mom, not someone I had ever thought much about. The main part of her story is told in Exodus 2:1-10, but other passages mention her (Hebrews 11:23). Exodus 6:20 says her name was Jochebed.
She lived and parented in an extremely dangerous time for Jewish babies. The Egyptian Pharoah had recently commanded that all Jewish baby boys be killed when she gave birth to a baby boy. I can't imagine what that would be like! I know that when I give birth to IB, he will be loved and cared for by everyone. No one will be seeking his tiny life.
She already had a son and daughter, but she valued life and sought to protect her newborn baby boy. The Bible says she and her husband hid their son for three months because he was a "beautiful child." The notes in my Bible said the word for beautiful means favored. Although I'm sure they had no idea what God had in mind for their son, they exercised faith in God to take care of the situation.
Jochebed was also creative, and resourceful. She took what was around her (river reeds, mud and pitch) and used her skills to build a basket for her son. She must have also been extremely hopeful in order to take her precious son and lay him in that basket and float him on the river.
Of course God did have an important plan for Jochebed's son, and He knew the plan to get him safely from babyhood to manhood. He even had a place for Jochebed in His perfect plan. Pharoah's daughter who found Moses and wanted to adopt Moses needed a nurse. And because Jochebed was hopeful and planned ahead, her daughter Miriam was there at the perfect time to offer her mother's services. For the next 2-3 years until Moses was weaned Jochebed nurtured him in her home. And she took every advantage of that time.
One commentary stated, "It is said that the Jewish mothers from the time the baby was first cradled in their arms, would begin to whisper, 'Jehovah is God.'" Jewish mothers, and I'm sure especially Jochebed, used every moment to teach their children about God, His law, and His great power. It's so easy to underestimate those early years, but they're vital. I saw that in many examples when I taught 3 & 4 year olds in Sunday school. A mother's faithful teaching is so important in shaping children. What a challenge to me as I start that task in a few months!
Once Moses was weaned, Jochebed had to let him go to his royal Egyptian home. She was forced to trust in God's sovereign plan and know He was able to oversee and care for her son's life.
That's only a little of what I've learned from Jochebed. Go study her for yourself. We always think of her son, but the Bible has plenty to say about her, too.
I'd love to hear your thoughts about Jochebed or what God has been teaching you!
Back in November I started studying some of the godly mommys of the Bible to prepare for mommyhood. I started with Moses' mom, not someone I had ever thought much about. The main part of her story is told in Exodus 2:1-10, but other passages mention her (Hebrews 11:23). Exodus 6:20 says her name was Jochebed.
She lived and parented in an extremely dangerous time for Jewish babies. The Egyptian Pharoah had recently commanded that all Jewish baby boys be killed when she gave birth to a baby boy. I can't imagine what that would be like! I know that when I give birth to IB, he will be loved and cared for by everyone. No one will be seeking his tiny life.
She already had a son and daughter, but she valued life and sought to protect her newborn baby boy. The Bible says she and her husband hid their son for three months because he was a "beautiful child." The notes in my Bible said the word for beautiful means favored. Although I'm sure they had no idea what God had in mind for their son, they exercised faith in God to take care of the situation.
Jochebed was also creative, and resourceful. She took what was around her (river reeds, mud and pitch) and used her skills to build a basket for her son. She must have also been extremely hopeful in order to take her precious son and lay him in that basket and float him on the river.
Of course God did have an important plan for Jochebed's son, and He knew the plan to get him safely from babyhood to manhood. He even had a place for Jochebed in His perfect plan. Pharoah's daughter who found Moses and wanted to adopt Moses needed a nurse. And because Jochebed was hopeful and planned ahead, her daughter Miriam was there at the perfect time to offer her mother's services. For the next 2-3 years until Moses was weaned Jochebed nurtured him in her home. And she took every advantage of that time.
One commentary stated, "It is said that the Jewish mothers from the time the baby was first cradled in their arms, would begin to whisper, 'Jehovah is God.'" Jewish mothers, and I'm sure especially Jochebed, used every moment to teach their children about God, His law, and His great power. It's so easy to underestimate those early years, but they're vital. I saw that in many examples when I taught 3 & 4 year olds in Sunday school. A mother's faithful teaching is so important in shaping children. What a challenge to me as I start that task in a few months!
Once Moses was weaned, Jochebed had to let him go to his royal Egyptian home. She was forced to trust in God's sovereign plan and know He was able to oversee and care for her son's life.
That's only a little of what I've learned from Jochebed. Go study her for yourself. We always think of her son, but the Bible has plenty to say about her, too.
I'd love to hear your thoughts about Jochebed or what God has been teaching you!
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