Ms. Bette

But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”  Matthew 19:14 

We began to visit Ms. Bette periodically after her husband, Mr. Don, died.  The oldest members of our church, the two of them were something of a legend.  Mr. Don lived a long and Godly life before passing away last January at the age of 88.

Ms. Bette wasn’t ever quite the same after that.  Her family moved her to assisted living, and, while she always kept a cheerful spirit, she did occasionally mention that she hoped to be able to move back home.  She also showed me a large picture of Mr. Don one day that she told me she got out when she was lonely.

Cooper loved to go see her.  She laughed at his antics, and she always had interesting things for him to look at.  He would give her big hugs which brought tears to her eyes.

The last few times I called her, she said she wasn’t up for a visit.  She just didn’t feel well.  Then her family announced that she was going into hospice care.

This past Sunday morning, Ms. Bette joined Mr. Don in heaven.  I have no doubt that the reunion there that morning was a joyful one for both of them.  And I'm sure her joy in getting to meet her Savior was greater still.

That afternoon, I told Cooper that Ms. Bette had gone to heaven.  He began asking me about heaven and about Jesus, things we had talked about before, but not in so much detail.  I hadn’t tried to lead him to accept Christ because I felt he was still a little young for that, but that day, he asked me if he would go to heaven too.  I told him he would if he asked Jesus to be his Savior.  We talked about sin and why he needed a Savior.  He showed an understanding of his sinfulness and of the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross.  Then I prayed with him to receive Jesus as his Savior. 

I believe he fully understands, as well as an almost-four-year-old can, what he has done.  He has since told several people that he asked Jesus into his heart.   He has talked more about heaven and seeing Ms. Bette again.  Of course, Don and I will continue to teach him about Jesus as he grows, making sure he understands it all. 

But for now, I am resting in the fact that Cooper knows Jesus and is saved for all eternity.  And I know that Ms. Bette would be thrilled to know that her death had played a role in that.

Remember Me?

I guess I got out of the blog mode for a while.  But I'm back.

We've had a busy couple of months.  Cooper, now 3-1/2, is changing and growing every day.  Not only are his clothes getting too small, toys are being outgrown, and Mom and Dad are having to adjust to new attitudes and situations, deciding where to extend new freedoms to him and where to hold our ground while being constantly challenged.

We've had a fun springtime, getting outside once again and enjoying the sunshine.

And the mud.

Don's work schedule has been an adjustment for our family, mainly having him work every other weekend.  It was hard for me when I realized he had to work on Easter, but we got through it.  Hospitals don't stop for weekends or holidays.

We ordered a butterfly kit, receiving 5 live caterpillars, watching them turn into chrysalides and then into butterflies before letting them go.  This was an interesting project for all of us, and Cooper still talks about it.

I've been spending a lot of time working in my garden.  I have enlarged it once again and have it mostly planted now.  We got TONS of strawberries, which I planted last year and really didn't have to do anything to this year except cover them to keep the birds out, and pick them.  Now we're getting a few blueberries for the first time.  I planted them several years ago and just this year figured out that I needed to cover them too.  Apparently we've been providing quite a feast for the birds over the past few years.

Our Community Bible Study class ended for the year last month, and they had their usual end-of-the-year children's program.  As usual, it was more cute than anything else, except maybe chaotic.  Still, I'm thankful we can both be a part of this program.  Cooper has learned many Bible stories and songs, and it's an opportunity for him to be with other children from Christian families, and for me to study the Bible and fellowship with other adults.

Cooper went to his first baseball game recently, the Nashville Sounds.  It was kind of sentimental for me, as my dad used to take my brother and me when they first started playing in the 80's.  This is their last year to play in their old stadium, so I was glad Cooper got to see them there, and I got to see them one more time.  I'm not a big sports fan, but I do like going to games every now and then.

And now it's summer (well, not officially, but school is out, Memorial Day is past, and it's HOT, so I consider it to be summer).  We have joined the Y, and Cooper is taking swimming lessons this week and next.  He loves the water, and I enjoy it too.

We're looking forward to some visits from out-of-town family members and more.  Hopefully I'll stay in the blog mode and be better about writing more faithfully.

Forty Bags in Forty Days

Just before Lent began, I saw this challenge going around Facebook.  Several of my friends said they were going to take it on.  At first I just ignored it, but finally I actually opened the blog and read it and thought, "I can do this."  So I have been.

Though it corresponds with the season of Lent, I wouldn't necessarily consider it a spiritual thing, though in some sense it is: letting go of "stuff" I don't need.

The idea is to take on one project per day, one area of your house, for the 40 days of Lent (taking Sundays off), clean it and get rid of one bag (any size) of clutter.  This can mean throwing it in the trash, giving it away (Goodwill or otherwise), or setting it aside for a garage sale.

I haven't been overwhelmed by it, though it has kept me busy.  Actually, it (along with the warmer weather) has energized me, and I'm accomplishing much more than I thought I would.  My husband loves it (he actually (lovingly, of course) called me a "hoarder" when I told him I was going to do it, which further fueled my fire).

I have cleaned closets, desktops, my garage (which had to be broken down into several separate "projects"), cabinets, my freezers, my car and more.  I have gone through some boxes of old papers and gotten rid of a lot of them.  I have organized Cooper's clothes and toys, getting rid of some that he has outgrown, and traded out his changing table for a chest of drawers someone gave us, that has been sitting in our garage.  I have yet to run out of ideas and don't think I will before the project is over.

My house is cleaner and more spacious, and I feel lighter knowing it's all gone.  Plus, I have gotten to take several trips down "memory lane" as I come across old things, and have even shared some toys and books from my childhood with Cooper.

I hope to do this every year, though I doubt future years will be as dramatic as this one, since I have already gotten rid of a lot.  I guess it doesn't necessarily have to be done during the season of Lent, but that's what works for me.

This is a project that I would recommend to everyone, especially to other "hoarders" like me. 

Praying for America During Lent

If you would like to join me in praying for our country during this season of Lent, this is a list of things I have come up with to pray for day by day.  I believe these are things God wants for us and have included a scripture for each.  These are just suggestions and are by no means exclusive; feel free to pray in any way the Holy Spirit may lead you.

Wed, 3/5 – Praise God for His sovereignty (Acts 4:24)

Thu, 3/6 - Praise God that He is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (Psalm 103:8)

Fri, 3/7 - Ask God what areas in your own life you need to be cleansed of and confess those to Him (Psalm 51:10)

Sat, 3/8 - Pray for the theory of evolution to fall to the ground and die (Genesis 1:1)

Sun, 3/9 - For marriages and families to be strengthened and the divorce rate to fall dramatically (Matthew 19:6)

Mon, 3/10 - For children to be taught to respect their parents (Ephesians 6:1)

Tue, 3/11 - For any sexual activity outside of the marriage between a man and a woman to be regarded as sin (Hebrews 13:4)

Wed, 3/12 - For our leaders to fear God and seek His will in leading our country (Psalm 2:10-11)

Thu, 3/13 - For the people of our country to honor God and His word (Romans 1:21)

Fri, 3/14 - For same-sex marriage not to be acknowledged in any state (I Corinthians 6:9-10)

Sat, 3/15 - For God’s protection from our enemies (II Samuel 22:4)

Sun, 3/16 - For us to honor the Sabbath as a country (Isaiah 56:2)

Mon, 3/17 - For our welfare system to not support those who are capable of working (II Thessalonians 3:10)

Tue, 3/18 - For the word of God to go out in our country and not return void (Isaiah 55:11)

Wed, 3/19 - For Christians to band together and stand up against the evil (Romans 1:32)

Thu, 3/20 - For the Ten Commandments and other scripture to not be banned in any public buildings (Isaiah 59:14)

Fri, 3/21 - For the worship of idols to be replaced with a fear of God (I Thessalonians 1:9)

Sat, 3/22 - For the truth about God’s role in our nation’s heritage to be taught in our history books (Psalm 77:11)

Sun, 3/23 - For our children to be taught God’s truth so they can share it with the next generation (Psalm 78:5-7)

Mon, 3/24 - For our judges to use God’s commandments as their standard (Leviticus 22:31)

Tue, 3/25 - For God to have mercy on our nation (Psalm 143:1)

Wed, 3/26 - For courage for Christians for stand up against evil (Ephesians 6:13)

Thu, 3/27 - For unity among believers (Psalm 133:1)

Fri, 3/28 - For spiritual revival in this country (Psalm 85:6)

Sat, 3/29 - For many to repent and be saved (Romans 2:4)

Sun, 3/30 - For our president and other leaders to acknowledge God and allow Him to direct their paths (Proverbs 3:6)

Mon, 3/31 - For churches to grow and be strengthened (Acts 16:5)

Tue, 4/1 - That the fear of offending God would be greater than the fear of offending man (Ecclesiastes 5:7)

Wed, 4/2 - For our news media to focus on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8)

Thu, 4/3 - For our country to seek God’s solutions to our problems rather than man’s (Isaiah 55:9)

Fri, 4/4 - For children to be cherished as gifts from God (Psalm 127:3)

Sat, 4/5 - For God’s definition of marriage, between a man and a woman, to be the only definition (Genesis 2:24)

Sun, 4/6 - For truth to be taught in public schools (Matthew 18:6)

Mon, 4/7 - For our leaders to have wisdom that comes from God (James 3:13)

Tue, 4/8 - For abortion to become illegal (Psalm 106:37-40)

Wed, 4/9 - That Christians can band together across denominational lines and work together for God’s glory (Romans 15:5-6)

Thu, 4/10 - For parents to be diligent to teach their children God’s ways (Deuteronomy 6:7)

Fri, 4/11 - For believers to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to spread God’s word (Acts 1:8)

Sat, 4/12 - For believers to hold on to God’s truth and not believe the lies of the world (II Timothy 4:3)

Sun, 4/13 - For believers to demonstrate kindness and gentleness in correcting others (II Timothy 2:24-26)

Mon, 4/14 - For our country to view all forms of sexual immorality as wrong (I Corinthians 6:18)

Tue, 4/15 - That we will not seek to do what is right in our own eyes, but in God’s eyes (Proverbs 14:12)

Wed, 4/16 - That those who walk in darkness will know the light of Christ (Isaiah 9:2)

Thu, 4/17 - That God will turn the hearts of our leaders to Himself (Proverbs 21:1)

Fri, 4/18 – Thank God that by the blood of Jesus, we are saved eternally from our sin (I John 1:7)

Sat, 4/19 - That our rulers will acknowledge that their power comes from God (Romans 13:1)

Sun, 4/20 – Praise God for offering eternal salvation through Jesus’ death and resurrection for those who believe (Romans 10:9)

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” Colossians 3:15

A Prayer for Mercy

I recently read the book, The Harbinger, by Jonathan Cahn.  It is written as a captivating novel, but at the same time making a strong point: AMERICA IS IN TROUBLE.  While I’m not sure I agree with everything in the book, I strongly agree that basic premise.

Our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian principles, dedicated to God at the outset. 

[O]n the morning of the day on which our illustrious President [George Washington] will be invested with his office, the bells will ring at nine o’clock, when the people may go up to the house of God and in a solemn manner commit the new government, with its important train of consequences, to the holy protection and blessing of the Most high. An early hour is prudently fixed for this peculiar act of devotion and . . . is designed wholly for prayer.  (The Daily Advertiser, New York, Thursday, April 23, 1789, p. 2) 

Following this time of prayer by the people, Washington was inaugurated, and then he and other founding fathers gathered together to pray and worship in a little church in New York City, which was then the capitol of this fledgling country.  

In the years that followed, as a nation, we sought to honor God and follow His principles.  And He has blessed and protected us.  We have become one of the most affluent nations in history.  We have been a political superpower, seemingly immune to the problems that other countries suffered.  We have enjoyed freedoms unheard of in other parts of the world.  We are a land of promise that others long to come to.  God has blessed us abundantly because we sought to honor Him as a country.  

Until around 1960. 

It seems we suddenly felt we didn’t need God or His commandments anymore.  We took prayer and Bible reading out of public schools.  This led to an inability to teach children right from wrong.  How can you say something is wrong if there is no standard?  So instead they more or less began to be taught that it was perfectly acceptable to do anything your carnal urges led you to do.  And why not?  If there is no God, then there will be no judgment.  This not only led to the acceptance of nearly every kind of sexual sin, but to disrespect of elders, and eventually even to the killing of people who may rub you the wrong way, whether that be a fellow student, a teacher, a parent, or an unborn child that is a by-product of your sin.

In order to pretend there is no God, we must teach our children that the world just “evolved,” that there was never a Creator.  We all just happened by chance and are really no different than animals.  And we must re-write not only our science books, but also our history books, taking out the references to the God that our founding fathers served.  Check the literature books too – there might be a passage or two from the Bible still left in them.  That must be removed as well.  After all, we can’t “offend” anyone who doesn’t believe in Him.

Over time, we have sought to remove the Ten Commandments or any other mention of God from public places. Our courts no longer use God’s commandments as a standard.  Judges now try to force those who do still have a fear of God to forsake it and give approval to those who choose a sinful lifestyle.   Nearly every type of sin is actively promoted by the media.  We worship idols in the form of the Internet, cell phones, beauty, materialism, food and many others.

Somewhere along the way, "political correctness" came in.  We apparently decided we feared offending man more than we feared offending God.  It didn’t matter what HE thought anymore.  We either thought we could protect ourselves, and handle our own money, without any help from Him, or we were so arrogant as to think He would continue to bless us anyway, that we somehow deserved it, regardless of our attitude toward Him. 

We seem to think we can fix our problems with a band-aid, with man’s solutions instead of God’s.  Are people killing each other?  No need to teach them that God says not to kill, let’s just take away their guns.  Is homosexuality becoming rampant?  Rather than teaching people what God says about it, let’s just defend their right to live however they want to, even trying to change God’s definition of marriage to accommodate them.  Are venereal diseases resulting from sexual promiscuity an issue?  Don’t worry that God says sex is only for marriage; let’s just teach our children how to protect themselves when they do have sex . . . with anyone they want to.  That will fix it.  And what about those pesky pregnancies that may result from it all?  We’ll just take care of those with a “simple” procedure.  It doesn’t matter if God calls that murder.

Where was that church where our founding fathers gathered to dedicate this country to God?  It was St. Paul’s Chapel, in New York City.  It’s still there.  Just barely noticeable.  At Ground Zero.

Yes, the place where our country’s Godly roots began is the same place that the first crack occurred in our protection after we turned our backs on Him.  And thus began a chain reaction of events that may well lead to the economic collapse of our country. 

Did we see it is a warning from God and turn to Him in repentance, acknowledging our sin and our need for His protection?  It seemed for a few days after 9/11 that we might, but we quickly went back to our old ways.  Rather than being humbled by our helplessness, we arrogantly sought to restore our country in our own strength.

We sent our military out to defend us.  We tightened up security in airports, essentially taking freedoms away from our own citizens.  And as the money ran out, we took drastic measures to keep the economy going, all the while going deeper and deeper into a hole that we can probably never bring ourselves out of. 

And Christians, for the most part, are standing back and letting it all happen.

God is a God of wrath.  He will not let our sin go on forever.  But He is also a God of mercy.  I believe He sent us a warning on 9/11.  He desires for us to repent of our sinful ways and turn back to Him, so He can continue to bless us.  But if we refuse to repent, His next warning will likely be much worse.

Lent begins this Wednesday, and I am planning to fast from sugar (probably my biggest vice) and pray for our country.  Tomorrow I will be posting a list of things I will be praying for.  I invite you to join me in praying urgently for our country during this season of Lent.  I believe that binding together and praying and standing up against all of this is what we are called to do during this critical time.

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”  II Chronicles 7:14

Sunrise

It is around 6:00 a.m. as I am having my morning prayer time, pouring out my heart to God, worried about this world that my son will grow up in.  Another decision has been made that goes against God’s plan.  Gay marriage has been legalized in Texas, a judge overruling the will of the people.

I look outside.  The sun has not yet fully risen¸ and the world is suspended between light and darkness, and I have a vision of our country in this same condition.  We are mostly shrouded in darkness now, but there is still enough light to see by.  I see this light as representing the Christians who hold onto their faith in spite of the growing darkness.

And I wonder, is our country on the verge of a sunset, or of a sunrise?  Will the years ahead bring total darkness, or will the light return?

I can see us going either way, but the only way I see the light breaking through is if Christians bind together and stand up for what is right in God’s eyes.  We must stand against these forces of evil that seem to be overtaking our country.  We must elect leaders who fear God and seek to do His will.  We must teach the gospel to our children so they can be lights in the next generation. And we must pray like we’ve never prayed before, that the forces of evil will be broken, that we will see a revival in this country.

It’s not about making more laws.  We see the powers that be trying to save us by forbidding us to do wrong: by taking away our guns, by not allowing us to discriminate against others, by not selling food that is harmful to our bodies and other regulations that seem good on the surface, but something is missing that laws can never replace: a change of heart.  Unless this nation turns back to God, no regulations are going to save us.

As I look out the window, the darkness is slowing giving way to the light of day.  The sun is rising.  Soon the light will overtake the darkness.  And it gives me hope -- hope that maybe this will happen in our country as well.  Oh, how I pray that it will.

Thirty-Nine Months Old

I'm still here!  I've just been grossly neglecting my blog lately,  I've been caught up in doing my family tree on Ancestry.com, which has been sucking up most of my computer time, but now I have cancelled my subscription, at least temporarily, so I can get on with the rest of my life.

Don's new job is going fairly well, though it's hard work.  He comes home exhausted in the afternoons, but he's thankful to have a job.  His new schedule has been a bit of an adjustment for all of us; I'm trying to get up with him at 5:00 a.m., which involves going to bed earlier, which involves getting Cooper to bed earlier, which involves starting earlier to get him ready for bed . . .  Plus, Don has to work every other weekend, which has been kind of hard.  Hopefully at some point this will change so that at least he can be off on Sundays.  It does make us all really cherish the Sundays when we get to go to church together as a family, though.

It's been a pretty rough winter, weather-wise, at least by Nashville standards.  We had some of the coldest temperatures we've had in several years (and a really expensive electric bill) and very little relief from the cold, dreary days.  We had ONE nice, sunny day recently, last Saturday.  Thankfully, it was Don's Saturday off of work, and we all went to the park together.

Cooper got a little guitar with some of his Christmas money and has been "playing" it all the time:

He's playing it right-handed here, but most of the time he has it upside down and plays it with his left hand.  We think he's left-handed.

He's finally mostly potty trained!  Well, at least during the day.  That has been quite a journey, involving a lot of frustration, bribery, dramatic celebrations, and more, but I'm thankful we seem to have made it.

He got his first "real" haircut a couple of weeks ago (I'd been cutting it myself).  He did great, and afterward we went to Cici's next door for lunch.

We went to "Discovery Center" one day with my mom, a local museum sort-of-thing for young children.  Cooper had a great time!

We're still doing Community Bible Study (this picture was taken by his teacher)

and MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers).  I met another 47-year-old mom there!  She has a 4-year-old boy.  We've gotten together a couple of times for play dates, and Cooper and her little boy have hit it off as friends.  I'm so thankful to have someone that I feel like I can relate to.

Thankfully, other than at Christmastime, we've all stayed fairly healthy this winter.  I'm believing that spring is just around the corner (at least I hope it is!), and I'm starting to think about what I'm going to plant in my garden this year.  I can't wait to get to go outside without bundling up, and to feel the warm sunshine on my face!

Christmas

I'm glad I decided to let Christmas be good, even if it wasn't perfect (see my last post), because that's the kind of Christmas it was.

It begins with good news: Don got a job!  He's working at Vanderbilt Hospital and seems to like it so far.  He started last Monday, but . . .

He was REALLY sick that day, and all week, so it was a rough first week for him, trying to adjust to a new schedule, learn a new job and find his way around a HUGE hospital, while feeling terrible.  Thankfully, he only had to work 3-1/2 days last week.  He is mostly, but not completely better now, and still trying to find his way around the hospital.

Since business at hospitals doesn't stop for weekends and holidays, he will have to work some of both but, thankfully, he got to be off on Christmas.  However, Cooper had a temp of over 102 most of Christmas day, and I wasn't feeling too great myself.  We had planned to go to my mom's house, but decided to just stay home, which was kind of nice, to just relax.

My brother and his family came to town that night.  I was worried we wouldn't get to see them, but by Friday, Cooper was fine, so they, as well as my parents, came over (even though Don was still feeling pretty puny and ended up going to bed right in the middle of it).

We had a fun visit with them.  Cooper loves hanging out with his cousins.

I had done some genealogical research on both of my parents' families and put that in books for them for Christmas.  I am hoping that Cooper and my nieces and nephew will be interested in this too.

We had a nice meal which my mom, my niece Hannah and I prepared.

On Sunday we all went to church and then out to lunch together before they drove back to North Carolina last night.

All in all, it was a good Christmas, and I am thankful for the family I have to share it with.

An Imperfect Christmas

You may have heard the phrase, "the good is the enemy of the best."  I think the opposite is also true, at least in relation to Christmas, at least for me.  The best, or perfect, is the enemy of the good.

I went to a funeral today for the mom of a friend of mine.  I find myself wondering how she will have a good Christmas, this year or ever again, for she will probably forever associate the season with losing her mom.

We want Christmas to be perfect in every way, but the sad truth is that for most of us, at least by the time we are adults, this is never going to happen.  Maybe we have loved ones who are no longer alive to celebrate with us, or broken relationships in our family.  Perhaps our troubles are financial, and we are unable to give the gifts we want to give.


For a number of years, I had a strong dislike for Christmas.  It always reminded me of what wasn't right in my life.  There were a few things I still liked about it, like the music and going to church on Christmas Eve, but as a rule, I dreaded the whole thing intensely, and couldn't wait to get past it.  (Some of you may remember the year I posted a "grinch" counter on my blog, reminding me of how many days were left until Christmas was OVER.)

I'm not completely past that.  I'm not sure I ever will be, but I've come a long way.  Having Cooper has helped a lot.  He doesn't have the "baggage" that I have, and to him, Christmas is nothing but pure joy.

I don't want to rob him of it, so I am continuing to try to focus on those things I do like, and I find more to like when I see it through his eyes.  Driving around at night and seeing Christmas lights has never brought me such joy as it does now that I get to witness his excitement.

Oh, I still dislike the materialism and the feeling of obligation to give gifts.  And the expectations of perfection that I can't completely get past still stress me out sometimes.

But in my heart I have realized something: Christmas isn't going to be perfect.  Not this year, not ever.  But it can still be good.  It can still be a time to stop the routines of life and just spend time with loved ones, laughing together and making memories.  It can be a precious time of focusing on the one perfect gift: the gift of God's Son. 

Jesus didn't come because we were perfect.  He came because we weren't; we can never measure up to God's standards, so He sent Jesus to die for those imperfections.  And we don't have to be perfect to receive that gift; we just have to be humble and acknowledge that we're not.

So this Christmas, I'm going to try to get past the need for a perfect Christmas and just focus on having a good Christmas.  And I wish the same to you.

Who Knew?

To most of the world, He was just an ordinary baby.  Apparently there was nothing about his physical appearance that would make anyone think otherwise, but in truth, Jesus was anything but ordinary, though it seems to have taken some sort of supernatural experience for people to recognize that.

Mary knew.  She probably knew it first (except for the prophets who foretold it),  and no one could have been more sure than she was.  To have been visited by an angel, and then to become pregnant and give birth while still a virgin leaves little room for doubt.

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.  Luke 1:35, 38

Elizabeth knew.  Somehow Mary knew she would know.  She is the first person on record that Mary discussed her situation with (possibly even before Joseph).  She didn’t even have to tell her; Elizabeth already knew!  Had she “heard it through the grapevine”?  No, Elizabeth had apparently been told by the Holy Spirit.

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. . . . And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!  And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”  Luke 2:39-45

John the Baptist knew. Even as an unborn infant, he apparently recognized that Mary’s arrival, with the babe in her womb, was something special. 

And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. Luke 2:41

Joseph knew, but not right away.  How would anyone expect him to react when his betrothed shared the news with him that she was expecting a child?  He would have known with certainty it wasn’t his child, and Mary’s story was hardly believable.  But then he received assurance that her story was, in fact, true, and, in following through with their marriage, became the man who had the honor of raising the Son of God.

But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” . . . When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.  Matthew 1:20-21, 24-25

The shepherds knew, unsuspecting though they were.  It was just an ordinary night until the sky was filled with angels, announcing that a Savior had been born.  They were compelled to go see this baby for themselves, and once they did, they wanted everyone else to know about it too!

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.  Luke 2:8-18

The wise men knew.  We don’t know who they were or exactly where they came from.  We don’t know how they knew, but they did.  Why else would they journey through the desert for weeks, months or even years, with nothing to guide them but a star?  Why would they bring expensive gifts to present to a baby they’d never even met?  Why would they worship Him?

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” . . . After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.  Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11 

Simeon knew.  God had promised him he wouldn’t die until he saw the promised Messiah, and he knew when he saw this baby that God’s promise had been fulfilled.  The Holy Spirit came upon him, and he prophesied:

He took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed  (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”  Luke 2:28-35

Anna knew, an elderly prophetess who apparently lived in the temple.  She too, wanted to tell everyone.

And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.  Luke 2:38

What did all these people have in common?  They were males and females, young and old, Jews and Gentiles, but they all knew.  They knew because they found out in some supernatural way.  God used some method to open their eyes and allow them to see something that others didn’t.

To most of the world, He was just an ordinary baby.  This world will soon celebrate Christmas, but what are they celebrating?  The birth of a baby boy over 2,000 years ago, but do they really know that He was anything but ordinary?

Only if God has revealed it to them, if through the Holy Spirit, He has opened their eyes to this fact.  Only then, do they know that this baby was God in human form, come to earth to bring them salvation through His death on the cross.  Only then will they believe.

I know.  And I am forever thankful for my salvation, which came through this baby born in Bethlehem.

Do you know?  

At that time Jesus declared,“I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. . .”  Mt. 11:25-26

These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.  I Cor. 2:10-13

Three Years Old (and then some)

Hi.  Remember me?  I haven't forgotten about my blog; I've just been involved in some other projects and have been neglecting it.  So . . . I'll try to cover two months in 1 post.

My baby boy is three now!  Since our birthdays are only three days apart, we did most of our celebrating together.  We went out to eat, and Daddy made us a chocolate pie for dessert.

Cooper got a bicycle helmet, which he LOVES, and a dump truck, which Don is a little jealous of.

He got a number of other things, including a new wagon (a hand-me-down from a friend of mine) . . .

. . . and a new "big boy" bed!

We also celebrated on Cooper's birthday by bringing cupcakes when we had lunch with our friends that we go out with after church most Sundays.

On the Sunday before Halloween, we went to "Awesome Autumn," which was a Halloween alternative at a local church.  Cooper wore the same costume he wore last year, which he had almost, but not quite, outgrown.  He still looked pretty cute in it (at least in his mom's opinion).

We've been going to "craft class" at my friend Debby's house every other Monday, which has been fun for both of us.

We also went to Pump It Up one day with some friends from my MOPS group, where we climbed and bounced and slid down slides and did all sorts of things that reminded Mommy that she is not as young as she used to be.

The weather has been mostly nice (though we did have our first snow a few days ago -- the earliest I ever remember, but it was short-lived).  We've been making the most of the nice weather, though, and getting outside as much as we can.

We've been working on potty training.  It has not been as easy as I had hoped, but we're making progress, slowly but surely.

Don is still unemployed.  This has been a longer journey than we ever expected it to be, but we're surviving.  Hopefully something will come along soon.  As we celebrate this season of Thanksgiving, we are thankful that, though this year hasn't turned out like we expected it to, God has provided for our needs, and we are all healthy and doing okay.  Life comes with bumps in the road, and I think we will look back on this one and be able to see the good in it.  God doesn't always do things according to our plans, but His plan is far better, and we are holding on to that knowledge.

Bradford, Tennessee

Cooper and I had an interesting day yesterday.  At least it was interesting for me; I'm not so sure what Cooper thought about it, but anyway, he behaved pretty well.

We went with my mom and her sister, my Aunt Gene, to Bradford, Tennessee, to research our family roots.  It's north of Jackson, a little less than 3 hours west of Nashville.

Our first stop was in Skullbone, just a few miles east of Bradford.  This is Skullbone.

We had some family who lived in this town, including a cousin who was the second postmaster there, probably around 1900.

Then it was on to Bradford, for just a brief drive through town on our way to Trenton, to meet my fifth cousin, Tom, who I tracked down while doing some genealogical research.  He is a public defender there.  My mom had contacted him beforehand, and he was able to get off of work and meet us for lunch.  We had a nice 2-hour visit with him and learned more about the family still living in the area.

After that, we went back to Bradford and found my great- and great-great-grandparents' graves at a little cemetery out in the country.  By this time Cooper had been riding in the car and sitting in a restaurant for way too long, so I let him run around in the cemetery.  I know, it is sort of disrespectful, but I turned around at one point and caught him doing this.

In Bradford we found the house my grandmother grew up in and met the lady who lives there now.

We also saw the building where the drugstore once was where my great-grandfather was a pharmacist in the late 1800's and early 1900's.  His dad, my great-great-grandfather, had been a doctor in the area.  He had his office in the front of his house and made his calls on horseback.  After he died, in the 1860's, his wife, my great-great-grandmother, took over his practice.

We got back, exhausted, around 9:00 last night, but it was a really fun day, and I'm glad we got to do it.

Thirty-Five Months Old

Wow -- I can't believe the big 0-3 is just around the corner!

We've been enjoying the waning days of summer.  We've had a little cooler weather, but still mostly warm, and we've been getting in all the water play we can, which is especially nice when Cooper gets filthy "working" in the garden.

Speaking of my garden, it is still doing well.  We've got quite a few things still coming in, including my experiment for the year, loofah.  Yes, just like the sponge you may have used for your bath.  This is what they look like, growing on a vine.  If all goes well, I'll soon pick them, peel them, and wash them, and we'll have lots of loofah sponges . . . probably more than we'll be able to use for the rest of our lives.  Oh well.

We had a visit this month from my Aunt Gene, my mom's oldest sister, and her husband, who live in Richmond, Virginia.  They are both in their mid- to late-eighties but are doing remarkably well.  This is my mom on the left and Aunt Gene on the right, at McNamara's, the Irish restaurant where we ate with them, one of our favorites.

We started back to Community Bible Study a few weeks ago.  Cooper, who had been really looking forward to going, decided when we got there that he was going to be shy and laid down in the doorway of his classroom, refusing to go in.

In the end though, with a little coaxing from Mommy, he went in, and had a wonderful time.  I am loving watch him grow and develop a heart for Jesus.

He also loves music and goes about the house singing and playing his keyboard or whatever other instrument he can find.  Don and I are glad of this too and look forward to seeing what musical talent he will hopefully end up developing.

For Labor Day, we had a church picnic at Long Hunter State Park.  We went on a 2-mile walk around the lake with a few friends from church and saw lots of cool wildlife, including several deer.

My friend Debby decided to do an art class for preschoolers at her house.  We have just been one time so far, and Cooper really enjoyed it.  We will probably do that twice a month.

  

Whew!  It's been a busy month, but a fun one, for the most part.  Don still doesn't have a job, though he has a few possibilities in the works.  This has definitely become a lesson in relying on God.  Hopefully he'll have something soon.  Meanwhile, we're making the most of his time at home and enjoying the extra time we are getting to spend with him.