So thankful

Huge, traditional feast - check
Turkey-induced coma nap - check
Time to put out the blog....

There is so much for me to be thankful for today!  Here is a small list, in not really any order:

• I'm thankful I don't have a husband that says, "Did you do anything today?"
• I'm thankful I didn't listen when the doctors said, "It's not that you can't have children, but you probably shouldn't." 
• I'm thankful for baby hugs...when she melts into my shoulder and squeezes me with her little arms...<sigh> 
• I'm thankful my puppy is starting to get the idea that OUTSIDE is where dogs pee. 
• I'm thankful for my "Big House on the Prairie."  I still can't believe that God picked this place out for us.
• On that note, I'm thankful for windows - huh?  When it's windy at night (often) I'm always glad we have glass in the windows that keeps the wind vortex from coming through my room.
• I'm SO thankful I was born in this country.  My few visits to other countries have always confirmed this.
• I'm thankful my kids don't have ANY serious health problems.  I think we went to the doctor maybe once last year?
• I'm thankful Kirk lets me have pets.  I know if he had the choice, he would live animal free, but I love having all of them around (and I know Kirk loves me).
• I'm thankful for my heritage on both sides.  My parents' families are pretty different from each other, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
• I'm thankful for my parents.  I am so blessed to have them here, close to me, and they are such a great support system for us.
• I'm thankful for my in-laws.  They are such a blessing to us!  I always wish they weren't so far away, but I'm grateful for their generosity and servants' hearts.
• I'm thankful Kirk let us use "real" plates and serving dishes today.
• I'm thankful (and so is our dishwasher) we don't use them everyday.
• I'm thankful for holidays that are full of tradition.  They make me stop and think of all the things to be thankful for!
• I'm thankful for my church.  It's been such a cool blessing to be in the same place I grew up in, with some old friends and some new.
• I'm thankful for my pastor and his wife.  We don't have a "slick" perfect package type church, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  Our pastor is real, our sanctuary is pink, and I love it all.  (Some day things will get updated, but in the meantime, I'm glad our pastor puts first things first).
• I'm thankful for Kirk's job(s).  Even though it's not exciting work, it's good work, that he doesn't have to wear on his shoulders when he comes home.
• I'm so thankful that Jesus, the lover of my soul, drew me close to Him, into the sweetest, best relationship on the planet!

When I say I'm thankful - I want to make it clear to whom I am thanking.  It always drives me crazy when people say they're thankful, but don't give credit where it's due.  I know that God is the source of everything I'm thankful for.  I really hope our entire nation (not just those at the top) get back to the true meaning of that first Thanksgiving celebration.  Those pilgrims had been through so much to get here - more than most of us can even imagine - yet they knew the calling God had given them, and they were still completely thankful for His Providence.



Here are some pictures of the things I'm most thankful for:

See I said I'm thankful my kids are all healthy (look how fast my son can run!<giggle>)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday Worship

This is one of my favorite hymns.  Every word is true!  During this Thanksgiving week, I thought I'd post a song that describes the majesty of our God.  I'm so thankful I can trust in Him. 

Speaking in Tongues & a Brand New Book!

Book Cover from Amazon.com

OK.  I usually do book reviews on Thursday, but I already have a Thanksgiving  post planned, so....

I just finished a book called "The Judas Gospel" by Bill Myers.  It was in the "7 day check out" section of the Library, which made me a little nervous, because even though I LOVE to read, I usually can only find the time when I'm drifting off to sleep, so sometimes it takes me forever to get through something.  Especially if it's just "meh."   This book was great!  I finished it without accruing any (more) late charges on my library card!

The premise of this story is Judas going before God and asking for a second chance to show Him what his real potential really was in growing the Church.  This happens at the beginning, then the story cuts to modern day LA where a young lady with supernatural gifts is being discovered.  Judas shows up, named Jude, as a kind of marketer to sell the Gospel through this girl's gifts.  He succeeds in making her a celebrity, while at the same time cheapening God's free gift of salvation into a business.  The author states one of his goals in writing "The Judas Gospel" (besides it being a great story) was to get Christians to think about the ways the Church has turned things into a business model.  I love that Bill Myers didn't throw out all things supernatural, though, which, in my opinion is a real tendency of Christians.  If they don't understand a Spiritual Gift, they write it off as being unnecessary or fraudulent. 

This leads me to my other topic in today's blogpost: Speaking in Tongues.  When Kirk and I were campus pastors back in the day, we were a part of the only Pentecostal group on campus.  Holding this position, I can't even remember how many conversations we had on this topic.  Instead of debating though, I feel more like taking the stance of the blind man in John 9 - basically, I don't know how YOU feel about the whole thing, but I only know what happened to me - "I was blind, but now I see."  I realize this man was talking about his supernatural experience with Jesus, NOT speaking in tongues, but the point is, no one could tell him that he shouldn't believe Jesus healed him, and honestly, no one can tell me my experience isn't real either.

Here is my story:  Even though I grew up in a Pentecostal church, I never really remember hearing much teaching on any of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but I still saw them in action.  It wasn't until my family moved temporarily to Montana where the teaching and the action were both there.  I went on a Youth Retreat, and was taught about receiving a prayer language.  My experience was similar to each instance in Acts where people were prayed for and began speaking in tongues.  I really can't embellish it and say I saw bright lights or fell down or anything like that, but I was speaking in a language that I had never learned.  What followed this experience is really what is most important. 

Prior to this weekend, I was the "new girl" at my school.  I had tried really hard to fit in, even making myself interject some cuss words into my speech amongst the "cool" kids to be more like them.  All I can say is, I returned from that weekend with a new set of eyes.  I no longer saw these popular people as people I wanted to be amongst and fit in with.  At the same time, I didn't have disgust for them, either.  I came back seeing them with Jesus' eyes - eyes that saw their need for Him.  I became so bold in my faith and so passionate about Jesus at that time.  I was only 12, but I know I challenged many of the adults at church to stoke their fire.  I have realized this experience wasn't meant to be one time experience (if it is just an "experience" and not a practice, that fire will subside like any fire), and as the Bible clearly lays out, there are specific guidelines for its use when in a corporate setting, but no where does its imply that we don't need this today!

The reason I wanted to blog about all this is I see a need for a balance.  Honestly, some of the televangelist style preaching and teaching have given the whole topic of any Spiritual gifts a bad rap.  People associate "name it and claim it" prosperity teaching with anything Pentecostal, and this is unfair.  This is one reason I really liked "The Judas Gospel."  In all branches of the Church, we have gotten this idea that Jesus needs a slick marketing campaign in order for people to come to Him.  That, I believe, actually does the opposite.  People get that enough on TV, billboards, the Internet, EVERYWHERE.   I can always go back to Kirk's testimony.  He had grown up in a Bible believing church, where I'm sure there were a lot of people who genuinely loved Jesus, but Kirk had never stepped into that love for himself.  It wasn't until he was in college and saw this small group of believers expressively singing to their God in a completely non-religious, or "slick" way, that he actually started to believe God might be real, and MAY want to know him.  Then, he had a similar experience to me at a college retreat.  He heard teaching on the Holy Spirit, accepted it (without maybe completely understanding it with his brain), and received a prayer language.  He KNEW God was real and had such incredible love for him to give him this gift!

We just need to BE the Church, living out what we believe, unashamed, and people will be drawn to Him.  If we don't have a desire for people to come to know Jesus, we need to examine that, too.  The Church needs to grow, not just "hunker down" for the hard times ahead, but we need to have genuine growth - lives changed and hearts turned toward Jesus.

Sorry for such a long, heavy post.  Like I said before, I'm not big on debating, but I would love to have a dialogue with anyone who has honest questions.
As far as the book goes, I will say I would only recommend this for adults.  Some of the characters are not Christians, and, while it's mild compared to any secular book, there are some crude and ungodly references.

My First Craft Tutorial!

I'm sure there are others out there who have done something similar to this, and I know it's not that mind-blowing, but this is one of the times I was thankful that I have a blog now - it helps me finish what I have started.  Here is my proud creation:

I started out with this old framed print (look familiar, Dad?)

I wasn't crazy about the color of the frame - it looked pretty dated and "I've been sitting above a 'davenport' for fifty years," so I cover it with my new best friend -  Rustoleum Hammered Spray Paint.

 I used one of my 40% off coupons at Hobby Lobby and picked up this Cork Roll.

I measured the inside of the frame and cut the cork to fit.  Be careful because the cork can split pretty easily.  

picture from U-line

 I decided to use burlap to cover the cork.  I have this crazy obsession with burlap these days.  It may be a pregnancy thing, but I REALLY love the way it smells!

I had these fancy push-pins I found at Wally World a while back, and thought they would be perfect for holding up my beloved burlap.

My almost-end result is this:
I had originally been going for a "Thanksgiving" decoration that I could whip out each year and have everyone write something they are thankful for (like we did on the leaves this time).  Then my wheels got to spinning and I decided I like it too much, and it fits on the side of my fireplace to well to only come out for a month out of the year.  This piece is going to be like a teacher's bulletin board.  I can change it for each season or holiday, post memory verses we are trying to memorize, or even display love notes for my precious family.  Yippee!  My first tutorial is done!

Random Ramblings

I'm taking a day off from my normal blog routine (hey...I'm allowed to do that, right?)  Anyway, I had so many random things rolling around in my brain, I thought I'd just get them down on here today.  Did I mention it's going to be random;)?

I saw this picture yesterday and laughed out loud.  My dogs started barking at me - I guess they thought something must be wrong?  This picture definitely confirms that I'm a nerd.  My husband, although he is an accountant, probably isn't a nerd - I had to explain it to him.  If you fit into the "not nerd" category, let me know and I'll explain it to you.

Here's another picture for the nerds:  (Woot, Woot!)

Alright...this is a really cool tip I found the other day online.  I kinda hate buying refills for my swiffer wetjet, but it seemed like any methods I had heard before (using a syringe) would take waaay too much time and energy.  Well, click here and see a really easy method for reusing those bottles. You're welcome.

Taken from "Lifehacker"

I found such a cute treat that would be adorable to take to a Thanksgiving feast.  Click here for a link to this easy yummyness.  I found this on the blog called "The Next Bird."  It looks like there is a lot of neat ideas on this blog. I'm followin'.

from "The Next Bird"

Speaking of which, click here for another cool trick/craft/way to save something you messed up this blogger has posted.  Now my wheels are turning thinking of things to make "original."

from "The Next Bird"

OK, I'll leave you with one last thing I found on Pinterest (my new favorite website).  This kind of actually fits with my normal "Friday Fun Day" theme - especially if you are in the nerd camp!

Here is the link to the website for directions on a simple, little kids yahtzee game.  They even have a pdf so you can print off the game and play right away (if you can find your dice).

from Kidscount1234.com

Stay tuned tomorrow.  I'm going to post my very first "tutorial" of a craft I created from start to finish.  I know...Tuesday is craft day, but this is partly for Thanksgiving, so I thought I should post a little sooner.  I'm feeling slightly proud of myself:)

Wednesday's Worship: Swept off my feet by Jesus

We haven't done this one at our church, yet, but I may work it up for a special one of these days.  It's beautiful!

How many children are too many?

Unless you're living under a rock (I'm pretty close to that) you most likely know the Duggar family is expecting their 20th child next spring.  I first saw the big news on my Yahoo home page when I was getting ready to check email.  I read the story, then made the mistake of reading through many of the comments.  I think I counted about 3 positive comments out of about a thousand negative ones.  Most people I actually know don't have any problem with the Duggar brood, and the few people I've discussed it with are excited for them.  I have never met the Duggars personally, so the only thing I know about them is from their show, books, or website.  Judging from that, and NOT the vast amount of opinions out there, they seem like the real deal to me.  They didn't go looking for fame - it came courting them. 
The main reason I'm probably most interested in what people are generally saying about the Duggars, is because, although we have a way smaller family, we do have a lot of the same views, and I have some concerns about some of the things I've heard lately regarding children.
I read an AP article in the newspaper recently that discussed preparing to become a parents much like how to buy a new car.  It may as well have said, "Make sure you have enough money for fuel, insurance, and maintenance!"  There is also PSA I've heard on the radio a couple of times that describes having a baby completely from an economic standpoint, encouraging couples to really weigh the costs and benefits.  REALLY?  That's what a baby is?  An economic investment?  If that is really what you're looking for, I guess you really will be disappointed.
I get it.  Kids are expensive.  So are cable television, eating out all the time, brand new cars, and large houses.  I don't have anything against anyone who spends money on these things I've mentioned, but those are all much more socially acceptable than bringing a new life into the world.  We get asked all the time how in the world we make it.  I'm a stay-at-home-mom, and we just moved to a large (certainly not perfect) house this year.  I can't speak for anyone else, but I know that God has provided for us.  We live in, what I like to call, "Opposite World."  It doesn't make ANY sense that we are doing better now financially, than when we had just 2 children.  All I can do is quote Psalm 127:3-5 and state emphatically that it hasn't been anything we have done:

Children are a heritage from the Lord,
offspring a reward from Him.
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are the children born in one's youth.
Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.

Without a doubt, it's probably not a good idea to get married and start a family just to have financial success, but I know for us, we made a decision that we felt God was leading us to fully put our TRUST in Him in the area of family planning, and He has never ever let us down.
I can't even say that I've had perfect, problem-free pregnancies and deliveries, but I believe every time something hasn't gone according to plan, God has used that situation for His Glory and as a chance to turn our eyes completely to Him.  I know Michelle Duggar has also received a lot of criticism because of her last baby's premature birth.  First of all, what happened in this pregnancy could happen to any woman who has any amount of children, but people fail to remember that this baby is doing great right now, and so is Michelle!  Many people have said, "Aren't the children you already have enough!?!"  Just because something very difficult happens doesn't mean that you change your life's values as a result.  Most people don't give up driving if they have suffered through a car accident.
Another major criticism of the Duggars is their use of resources.  This one always drives me crazy to hear from people in this country.  I seriously doubt anyone has gone without a meal because they live near the Duggars.  Speaking for my family, yes, we do have a very big van that doesn't get great gas mileage (sorry, we can't fit the Rohdes in a Prius), but since we only need to drive this when we are all together going somewhere, it gets out of the garage about 1 to 2 times a month.  We do use paper plates for most meals, but from an ecological standpoint, we would use more water to wash dishes than it costs to produce and buy paper plates. The Duggars have done episodes on thrift store shopping.  We have been so blessed to receive clothes from many friends.  My friends have good taste, and thankfully, we have had to purchase very little clothing for our kids, and when we do, our first stop is undoubtedly a thrift store first.  Instead of using a crazy amount of resources, I feel like many large families are great at being "resourceful," and making the most of what they have.  I guess living in Wyoming, someone may have a very difficult time convincing me how "overpopulated" this world is.
One question a lot of people have for Michelle Duggar is how she can truly take care of all of those kids.  I've heard, "There is no way she can give all those kids the attention they need and deserve."  On a smaller scale, I've heard the same thing.  One thing I think people forget is CHILDREN GROW UP!  I would be shocked if the Duggar's oldest was coming around everyday looking for mommy's attention.  Having 20 babies to take care of would be REALLY hard, but Michelle has all ages.  Not many children want their parents following them around participating in everything they do (nor is this healthy.) Of course, the Duggar children probably aren't involved in every extra-curricular activity out there, but some of the harried, over-busy children we have running around society today would probably welcome that.  Do they work hard?  Probably, but it seems from what I have seen that they make it fun.  When parents wait on their children hand and foot, they send them into the real world without a true understanding of WORK.  This is something I'm trying to get better at.  I tend to do more for my kids than I should, because I have a hard time letting go of some perfectionism, but I'm truly not doing my kids any favors by not making them take responsibility around the house.
I know the Duggars have  the view that their daughters should stay under their parent's roof until they get married.  This is completely NOT a popular view in this society, but having done more or less the same thing myself, I can definitely see it's benefits.  (I'll probably save that can of worms for another blog.)  I'll leave you today with this you tube video.  I saw it a few years ago, and all I can say is - we are doing our part to prevent a Muslim takeover:)