sometimes you just have to

be thankful!

Today on the way home from small group the Lord reminded me of a story. It was a story of when I was thankful for very little. I was in college, a small Bible school, and because we had several internationals who came to this school there many times that those students had no where to go during holiday breaks. So the school always tried real hard to make things a little easier for them by finding a family for them to stay with or doing something on campus during the school break. Well, it just so happened to be near Thanksgiving break and the cafeteria decided to do a Thanksgiving dinner right before everyone went off. Honestly, I think about the meal now...and its nothing I would have cooked. It was cut turkey and/or beef (which wasn't organic), mashed potatoes that could have very well came from a box or were at least bought pre-made, and some cooked cut carrots...you know the ones...the ones with the ridges already perfectly cut into them. Yeah, certainly nothing fresh. But as I sat with my plate in front of me, starring at the abundance of food I had been given to eat, my heart grew glad. It was so glad that I began to cry. Yes, right there. And as my friends who were sitting with me wondered what was wrong, it dawned on me that I had everything in the world I needed. I was so thankful! And as God began to over-flow my heart with this gratitude, I couldn't contain it. I looked at everyone with tears in my eyes and started to express how thankful I was for this meal. I mean, some thought I was nuts, while others caught the same spirit. Yeah, man....we are rich, aren't we?

I think about the meal now and I'm like, wow...what was I thinking? But that just shows you I needed to be reminded of this story. We complain about so much and so often that sometimes its hard to even recognize we're doing it. But sometimes you just have to purpose yourself to be thankful. I think we sometimes want to see the abundance and blessing come first, and then we're thankful. But I think we're thankful first, and then we recognize the abundance. Just like Jesus when He thanked God for the fish and bread before feeding the thousands.

i can't embed this video but its only 2 and 1/2 minutes. You should watch it. It challenged me because I needed reminding of what I've been given: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH_eqDwTDRY

Or look at this one man who is changing the face of what it means to be thankful!

A little reminder to us all....that we have everything we need!

Curried Lentils and Vegetable Stew

I didn't know what to make for dinner last night and so I decided to throw something together with little things we had lying around. Well, the dish came out delicious so I thought I'd share. I've been anemic now the last three years of my life, mostly because I've been pregnant and/or nursing for that long and nutrients get sucked dry when my body is burning extra energy. So, if I want to stay away from taking an additional iron supplement, I have to purposely eat foods high in iron. But as a lot of you know, I'm not a huge meat eater and I won't buy it unless its grass fed, free grazing, without antibiotics or hormones. Well, lentils is a great option for a an alternative source of protein and iron:-)

Here's a list of my ingredients:

6 cups of water

5 organic potatoes (cube them)

1.5 cups of organic green lentils (you can use any)

3 organic carrots (chopped)

1 large cooking onion

2 tablespoons of curry (yum)

1 tsp. of garlic powder

tablespoon of chopped garlic (yes...I used both)

salt to taste

2 tsp. of ginger powder

(add more ginger is you are nauseated from pregnancy...it helps everything settle nicely)

I sauteed the onions, carrots and chopped garlic separately over canola oil (could also use olive oil on low heat) on medium heat (I added a little salt and curry powder to it as well).

Everything else I threw in the crock pot to simmer all day. Once the other ingredients are cooked you can add them too. I had mine on for about 4 hours on high and then reduced the crock pot for one more hour on low. It tasted wonderful.....we topped it with parmesan cheese right before eating. You could also put over brown rice if you choose. And what's great is you can make it your own way by just substituting whatever you want by what you have in your house. (add a cup of water if stew becomes to thick.)

Lentils and brown rice have a very low glycemic index and the balance of the legume and grain provides a complete protein for vegetarians and flexitarians alike. Non-vegetarians should try this hearty dish as a meat replacement for dinner. The high fiber in the legumes and veggies are also excellent for digestive and heart health by aiding in lowering cholesterol. They are a source of folate, a necessary nutrient for pregnancy and women.

I was thinking....if not a main course...I may try serving this up next time with some lamb...

Hope you enjoy! We should did ;^D

children liberated me

So there's this thing that's just been urking me lately and I just can't get off it. And so maybe you feel the same way but find it hard to voice something about it. As many of you know I'm pregnant with my third, putting this one 19 months apart from the second...and my second is 14 months a part from the first. So if you ran into as many friendly people as I did when I was pregnant with my first I'm sure you heard things like,

"wow....your life is about to change. are you ready?" (and not with positive notion)

"This your first? ....oh I can tell..." (implying I'm over-excited)

"Wait to see what children are really like..."

"...you think you can't sleep now...just wait."

Then when I thought the kind advice would be no more once pregnant with baby number two, I was assured by many how often my girls would fight and hate each other growing up...and don't forget the "now your really gonna know motherhood" as if motherhood would take away my worth, my meaning, my life.

Now that I'm pregnant with the third, with little room for breathing, I think a lot of people just don't know what to say, or maybe they realize their thoughts are probably a little too pessimistic for my digestion. My thought is probably the latter.

But what am I trying to say with all this? That a majority of people think children are a burden and that the life change children bring is crippling and binding. No doubt, I don't think anyone would ever say that... but they really don't have to. Because in a sorts, they kind of already have, through all the negative synergy that comes from people when they talk about children.

But I'm here to tell you and to tell the world, my children have not bound me; they have liberated me! It's true. Because of them I have more freedom than ever. Here are just a few ways that they have helped me do so:

1. Spiritual Maturity

I have spiritual grown more in the past two years than I have in all the time I have been a believer. God has used my children numerous ways to teach and lead me to where He wants me to be. And, certainly God has used them to rid me of what I want (flesh) and to choose to walk in the Spirit, for the fruit of the spirit is "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Gal 5) And my children push me to be the women God has called me to be.

2. Selflessness - IT's NOT ALL ABOUT ME! It never was suppose to be. For some reason we feel like we have this entitlement to do what we want until we have kids. That's so unbiblical that its a joke to me now. But, hey, I thought the same way and its how God has dealt with my own selfishness. But just like any flesh-like desire, selfishness is listed right along with all the others as a sin. They've taught me to die to myself and choose that which is better.

3. Taught me how to spiritual war in prayer.

This one is huge for me. They've taught me so much about intercession. Do you ever find yourself wanting to pray but don't know what to pray about? Well have some kids, and you'll never run out of things to pray. I think about my friend, Kristy Bittle, who's son has been battling cancer. i can guarantee she has learned a whole lot on what it means to truly war in prayer. And I'm sure she has a few things to say about what she has learned about intercession through the life of her son.

4. Taught me how to be free.

When I wrote this I thought of the first time I saw Abigail dancing before the Lord during a 24 hour worship gathering we were facilitating. I remember just watching her and admiring her for her unhindered dance. No one else was dancing, but she didn't care. i don't even think she really noticed. But how often does it take me to let go and be free to obey God. And that's what true freedom is, the freedom to obey God. So, instead of caring what others are doing or thinking, I can just let go, like my two year old daughter does, and be in radically in love with Jesus.

5. To hear the voice of God.

Wow, if I don't feel the need to hear God for myself, my children certainly put me in a position where I need to be listening. All too often my ideas, my formulas and reactions lead to chaos and failure. But God has used my children to fine tune my hearing because all the more I need to be wise and discerning of what each child's needs are. I recognize that I have been given a gift to steward their heart, but only for a short time. I am honored that God has entrusted me to lead and shepherd His own children. My desire has always been that they would be free spirits obedient to God, but what does that look like? And the only way of knowing is to ask God Himself.

6. To be purposeful in my day.

If there's anything children do best on it's usually a routine. But my life is anything but scheduled. And with the many ventures of our exciting life, the same everyday schedule just doesn't work for us, BUT I've learned how to stick to a routine even if the day changes alittle bit. And I've never, ever, ever....did I say never?...and I mean it....never was a scheduled person in my life before. And you know what? It was pretty stressful, but I had no idea it was because of my time management that i was stressed. Not only that, but because of my children teaching me this practical life skill I also purpose myself in other areas during my day....like quiet time with the Lord, reading my Word, cooking and cleaning,etc. And once children are in the picture, you don't want a day without those goods....so i purpose myself to not miss out.

7. I found a voice.

This is the last one I'm putting and i find it of GREAT value. I use to be a very "gray" person. I rode the fence on a lot of issues and I tried hard to stay away from confrontation or conflict. HA! I'm sure some are smiling now, because if you've met me in the last couple years you know I'm not at all like that. in fact, I've probably got an opinion about...well, almost everything. But my children forced me to have an opinion. And after I got one....you know what I found? God's got an opinion too. Yeah, He's got thoughts.....and a lot of them at that. My children helped me hear God, and find the freedom to share what i feel those things are.

Well there you have it friends. So if anyone tries to give you some "thoughtful" advice on your current children status quoto....feel free to forward them here ;^D

or maybe you can just tell them yourself on how your children have liberated you...

bonding and babies....

so, this post is going to be somewhat intrusive but I assure you it is only meant to encourage each MARRIED couple and family to having a God-purposed relationship and marriage.

Bet you can't guess the number one question I get from my blog writing. It surprises me too, but because its happened so much I've decided to talk about it on the blog because I'm sure more people are thinking and wondering but not asking. Here it is:

How do you feel about a couple using condoms as a form of birth control?

So, if this is you first time reading anything I've posted on birth control or natural family planning I encourage you to read THIS first so you have a deeper understanding of where I'm coming from. But more importantly so you have an open heart to the Lord regarding your family's future.

Apart from the HUGE ethical issue I have with birth control, in which you can see my blog on how birth control came about here, I also have a morality issue with it. God gave us two purposes with the act of sex and, in short, I call it bonding and babies. First He gave us the ability to have intimacy with our spouse that no one else should have. Simply, marriage without the bedroom really wouldn't be a marriage at all because its through sex that covenant is consummated. Don't get me wrong, marriage is not all about sex, but it certainly brings to perfection the "oneness" a man and a women in covenant have. Second, we were given the ability to pro-create. The fact that we were given this gift is a BIG TIME virtue! Ezekiel 47, the story of the Millennial River, a lot of us know it but very few of us have ever looked at it as a fertility story. But I can tell you this, the prophet speaks of trees that bring forth fruit EVERY month (vs. 12) and we also are like those trees. As a woman we have been given a pure and undefiled gift, ovulation. And God has given us the tools, to not only know our own bodies through NFP, but to also have our spouses learn right along with us. The minute we invade that gift with stopping the ability to pro-create we are saying that "baby making" is a big time problem to God. Um...not sure He's gonna take that so well. But, hey....I'm not God. But I can assure you that FERTILITY is not our enemy and "fruitfullness" is the inevitable by-product of intimacy within your marriage. When we try to change that its as if we took out the conclusion in a climatic story.

SO, I realize I have not answered the question yet and I went on my own tangent. Maybe because the answer is still not that simple, but maybe it is. My simple answer? Ask God what He thinks. Invite Jesus into the marital bedroom with your spouse. Ask God for His timing, His order, His opinion. Sure....you can do what you want and God is faithful to bless it. But do we want what is good when we could have great? No, I don't believe condoms are evil. And, yes, we use them. But it still doesn't answer the question as efficiently as I would like because no one sees the praying, the seeking, the openess and vulnerbility we have with Jesus to come to a place where we know that is what He wants. So my best advice....listen to God.

(Hope this helps. And the post is not meant to step on toes or cause offense but only to answer the question as best I know how in my own personal convictions God has given me.)