Colossians 3

Source my mom & pops gave me a little pink leather-bound book almost a year ago, on my 26th bday.  It's The Message translation of The New Testament.  I have never really taken the dive, as I've always preferred reading my traditional translations of The Bible.  I DO, however, live cross-referencing the different versions, as just a single differing word can leave me with a totally different perspective.  Pretty cool.

Well... just now I checked out the 3rd chapter of Colossians, The Message style.  Col 3 (particularly verses 12-15) is one of my go-to, almost-daily reads.  Totally  a guiding passage for me.  It reminds, encourages, convicts, & excites me every time! 

Go read Colossians 3 in The Message version of the bible. My prayer is that it inspires you as profoundly as it does me!

Jesus: Toddler Style

I spent some time today trying to entertain the girls with the story of Jesus' birth.  I started with our little nice, heavy, pewter nativity set.  I started with how the beauuuutiful angel came to visit Mary and told her she was going to have a sweeeeeet baby.  Well... before the first sentence was completed, I was wrestling one of the lambs out of CamCam's hand so as to avoid any head trauma to poor innocent Aves (Camo has a bit of a violent streak...).  So.  I hastily dropped the nativity set back onto the mantle, out of my little peas' reach and tried another approach.  This one much less pretty :) 

After a quick trip to the playroom, I came back with scissors, a bunch of colored construction paper, some tape & a pencil.  We made our little Jesus story into an art project (if you can even classify my hasty & seriously abstract masterpiece as artwork!) and with much more success, I got to share the birth of Jesus with my little nuggets! 

When daddy got home, Aves showed daddy out pretty pic and pointed out the angel, Mary, "baby God", the three men with their "presents", and... "who is that?"  She had trouble remembering Joseph's name.  I think I kind of threw her off with the whole idea of 2 dads.  A little outside the mental capacity of a 2-yr-old I think :)   SO cute.  There are few things Brian and I love more than hearing our lovebugs talk about God & Jesus.

So.  Avery is super excited about "Jesus dirthday!!  I sing happy dirthday to Baby Jesus!"  and keeps asking where Baby Jesus is.  She knows God lives "in my heart", but can't seem to figure out where Baby Jesus is hiding. 

And while we're on the Jesus-Toddler topic, Cameron has fallen in love with Avery's little storybook bible.  She ran around for an hour today saying, "bobble! bobble!" and begggging us to read it to her.  If there's any way to make me drop what I'm doing and cater to my children's wants, this is it.  Little CamCam has got it all figured out :) 

If there's anything in this entire world I want to leave my kiddos with, it is knowledge of who God is and how MUCH He loves them.  Completely.  Unconditionally.  Of course I WANT them to know how overwhelmingly I love them and want the very best for them too.  But it all points back to Him.  What better time to remember & put some on that than during this season that we celebrate His most perfect gift to us!

Motherhood

The knowledge that God chose ME to be the mother of my 2 sweet girls is humbling, baffling, encouraging, and at times overwhelming.  My journey to motherhood has been pretty typical.  Brian and I conceived both of our children.  That seems normal.  So normal, in fact, that the miraculous part of it gets completely lost.  God decided when to create those 2 little lives.  He saw them through to a healthful completion.   He allowed Brian and I to experience their lives beyond just a few minutes, weeks, or months.  He chose for us to be their parents from Day 1. 

I realize that this is NOT the journey to Motherhood that many of God's children will experience.  For some, He has chosen the gift of a child who was conceived in another womb, maybe even another country.  But still, He created that little bundle of cells knowing who would raise her.  He saw her development through to a perfect completion.  He chose who would deliver her and where she would be delivered, knowing all the while when she would be passed into the hands and heart of the one she could call "mommy".  And for this mommy, He has worked and chipped and prepared her heart for THIS child.  No part of her story, nor her child's, is a mistake.  It's not a broken story, who's pieces He needed to clean up.  It's a jigsaw puzzle of perfection that He had planned from the beginning.  This journey is almost even more miraculous than a journey like mine.  That God uses so many people to get a single one of his children into the hands meant to hold them forever... is one of the most telling pictures of the way He loves us.  His love goes so far beyond any definition or picture we can use to describe it, that its playing out often leaves us confused and dumbfounded.  But the truth of its perfection remains.

Motherhood.  The opportunity to love, hold, teach, encourage, provide for one of His own, is never anything but perfectly planned, and flawlessly purposed.  By Him.  Our Father.  Our Creator.  The Lover of our Souls.  He is Good.  In all things, He is Good.

Thoughts on Marriage

In talking with a friend recently, I realized that I have a "view" on marriage.  I believe that entering into and maintaining a marriage that honors and glorifies The Lord is a blessing, a challenge, and takes a massssivvve amount of intentional living.  It's a series of decisions that have to be made over & over again.  Every. Single. Day.  The decision to place your spouse before every other person and thing.  Even yourself.  The decision to enjoy your spouse.  The decision to forgive your spouse.  The decision to be gentle and kind toward your spouse.  When these thing don't happen, I absolutely do NOT believe it's always because we choose NOT to.  I think a lot of times, it's just that we forget to make a choice either way.  We get caught up in the millions of other things in life.  Our spouse is one of the FEW constants in life, so I guess it can be easy to just overlook them...  So, my "view" on marriage is that it should be the most intentional part of your day, your energy, and your life.  Although I am by NO means an expert or a master at marriage, I know that I try to be intentional in my relationship with B-Riz (he usually makes it really easy!), but there are plenty of occasions (a lot more than I care to count) that I fall into the trap of marital stagnation/selfishness.

Brian and I were super into talking about marriage when we were dating/engaged.  I feel like we made a pretty intentional and informed decision on who we were choosing as a lifelong spouse.  Um, don't get me wrong here...

I mean, did he sweep me off my feet when we started dating?  YES.  

Was I blinded by love like so many other young & in lovvvve females?  HECK YES.

 ... but luckily B-Riz is the bomb, so my unconditional infatuation didn't result in any regrets :) 

But, seriously.  We talked about marriage SO much before we were actually married, that I literally can't think of one thing that took me by "surprise".  We discussed how we expected to be treated privately & in public, spending habits, banking, working aspirations, parenting, disciplining, temptations, what we wanted our kids involved in, what kind of church we envisioned our family being a part of, what we pictured evenings at home looking like, if we wanted to be the hosts or guests on the regular, what kind of house we wanted to settle into, pets, # of kids, where to live (something we never have/will be 100% in agreement on!), how often we wanted to visit parentals, strengths, weaknesses, pet peeves, concerns, dreams, travel, hobbies... you name it, we probably talked about it.  Like... 12 times.  We talked about our parents' marriages alllll the time.  The amazing qualities we saw in them that we wanted to adopt for our own marriage.  We looked at their marriages and discussed all the little things that we saw would be an inevitable challenge at some point, and tried to come up with ways we could avoid, or at least be extra aware of, these issues.  We discussed our opinions on every little teeny tiny thing, and where we differed, we just talked some more.  Until we came to some kind of COMPROMISE (one of the most beautiful, yet easily forgotten, parts of marriage if you ask me!).  

We tried to foresee what could potentially be the biggest trouble areas for each of us, in terms of being a good and BIBLICAL wife/husband, and figure out ways to be prepared.   I'm not sure if it's a personality thing, but we have approached our marriage as some sort of challenge, without even realizing it!  Brian's competitive nature won't really allow him to fail at anything he puts his mind to.  And my analytical thought processes want to know the root of every word/action/facial expression.  This has resulted in us talking almost everything out.  Honesty is the name of the game.  When we're not rolling smoothly, neither of us is down.  Sure, we have had our seasons of frustrations/annoyances, but (SO FAR) nothing that has festered into a serious issue. 

However:

We are both acutely aware of the fact that satan is just WAITING for his moment to attack us.  We know that at some point, and probably MULTIPLE points, we will find ourselves in the midst of some major marital discord.  I hope and pray that our approach will have us as prepared as we can be for those times.  I know without the slightest doubt that The Lord will see us through thick & thin as long as we continue to use Him as the glue that holds our marriage together.  We are one, now.  Two souls bound by God.  Since June 2, 2007:  Brian and Roxanne = brianandroxanne. 

I'm super thankful that thus far, we have experienced a pretty smooth ride on the marriage train :)  I am genuinely looking forward to the triumphs, trials, great times, and not so great times ahead with B-Riz as my husband.  I know there are many laughs, many tears, and many learning experiences on the horizon.  It's amazing how much God can move and teach and work through this supercool and GENIUS creation of His: Marriage.

 

Game 6

God told Joshy he was going to hit a homerun last night.  And he did. 

"2 outs.  2 strikes.  2 times.  SERIOUSLY??"  I think that's GOTTA be what Wash is saying here...

Post-game scene in my garage.  No words needed.

Bring it, Game 7.  Best World Series EVER.

He Did It Again!!

So there's a significant weather advisory around these parts, and it is thundering BIG time.  Cameron isn't a huge fan & wants to snuggle (which we love), but ever since we taught Avery that "God makes thunder & lightning", she just exclaims with excitement, "He did it again!" anytime she hears the thunder or sees the lightning.  CUTEness.  :)

In other news, I guess I pulled a muscle in my back.  Between my spine and my right shoulder blade, there is some major discomfort going on from my trap to the bottom of my shoulder blade, and it's been there for almost a week now.  It hurts with a firm touch, and feels like a pulled muscle.  When I lean against the back of a chair or lay on my back in bed, it spasms and is just...annoying.  It's definitely a muscle issue, not a joint/spine/bone issue (thankfully!).  But I'm not sure how to deal with it?  I spent a few days icing it (after making it worse by asking the hubs to give me a massage thinking I had "knots"), I've been taking anti-inflammatories, "resting" it...as much as a mom of a 1 & 2 year old can rest anything :)  I'm not a fan of having to steer clear of working out OR not being able to roll around on the ground with my littles, so I'm hoping this thing leaves me alone soon!

And in other AWESOME news, the Rileton is back in the States for a few days, so we get to hang with him this weekend.  SUPER excited to spend time catching up on his life & God's work in Honduras.  And just pumped to chat and hang and let the girls love on BOTH of their uncles for a couple of days.  Super thankful for the times my fam gets to be together...yay for The Curry Connection!

What Would You Say?

What would you say if you were chatting with someone and they asked you about your faith?  What would you say if upon mentioning that you were at church this weekend, a co-worker asked you what you believe?  What would say if a new friend asked you about Who God is?  What would you say if a skeptic asked you about Jesus and what being "saved" is all about.  What would you say if in front of a group of friends, believers and non, someone asked you to explain what Christianity is all about.  
At Hope, we are currently in a series that is based around 1 Peter 3:15.

"...and if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it."

 So, I really do want to know.  What would you say?  Would you be nervous, say "God is God... so... I love your shoes..." and hope they didn't ask again?  Would you defer to someone else out of fear of saying the "wrong thing"?  Would you have an answer?  Would you feel confident?  What would you say...??

God is at work....

When I moved away from Sugar Land and left First Colony, I knew I would never find a preacher that I adored quite as much as I adore Ronnie Norman.  God speaks through that man STRAIGHT to my heart literally every time I hear him speak.  Super awesome.  Well, from the first time Brian and I walked into Hope Fellowship Frisco, we knew we had found our home, thanks in HUGE part to John Makenzie.  He has a way of doing the same thing Ronnie does, he speaks genuinely, passionately, and you can just see his Jesus-Serving heart spilling out all over the stage with each sermon.  I am SO insanely thankful that God has given us this church family to encourage and teach Brian and I (and our girls! the kids stuff if the bomb for sure).

So, John's messages of late couple with the Revelation study my Lifegroup is doing have been super cool for me.  I expected something different from Revelation, just knowledge.  But, instead, The Holy Spirit has been convicting me in all sorts of interesting and exciting ways.  Revelation talks basically nonstop about True Believers.  I have no doubts about my salvation, but I've had this new awakening in my heart to serve God more intentionally.  God has given me a lot of great wisdom and conviction in the last year, mostly having to do with embracing and running with my new (well, somewhat new) role as a mom and wife.  He's also been giving me some major words about the realities of sin & satan (but that's for another time!)

I have realized that although I still have a gazillion people that I adore and care about and want to love on, my current calling is to deeply love and serve my family and the people that God has made accessible in my life right now.  I'm okay with that. I have learned and am still learning new ways to encourage and love the people I have known and loved for years, but who no longer live near me.  It's more challenging to SHOW love with distance in between, but I am trying to take my cues from Jesus. Because really, it's not about me and how much I wish people knew how much I care/think about them, it's about bringing honor and glory and recognition to Jesus' name.  I am more excited and honored to WORK HARD at being a Godly wife to Brian and Godly momma to my girls.  I'm EXCITED about this role, and although there are still many times that I find myself feeling burdened or inconvenienced, God has given me the power to overcome those feelings and redirect those thoughts that I'm pretty certain are from Satan.

I realize that this opportunity to support Brian as a wife, is something huge that God has put before me.  Brian is an amazing dude.  He loves The Lord and truly desires to glorify Him with his life.  That's a tough job, and as his wife, I'm excited about the fact that I get to encourage him, support him, comfort him, and love him in a way that pushes him toward Jesus.  That's an honor.  My heart is really being challenged about the times that I don't feel like putting my all into this role, because "I'm tired" or "it doesn't really matter" or I'm just not in the mood.  It truly is my life's work right now, and I have been reminded that God wants and expects me to "work at it as if working for The Lord"...because I AM working for The Lord!

God has also given me an awesome renewed excitement for parenting my little sweet peas :)  Not that it's much of a challenge to love those cute littles, but I see that it is a responsibility that God has placed in front of Brian and me.  Everything I do with them and for them, is ultimately for the Kingdom of God.  They are His, and I have received the blessing of providing for, nurturing, teaching, disciplining, and loving them in a way that prepares them for a life of knowing, loving, and serving God.  SO COOL.  When I remember that, I approach my days with so much more enthusiasm, excitement, and I really believe that God gives me more energy and patience when I keep Him at the forefront of my mind.

DEFINITELY not saying I've mastered any of this, but I am working every day at turning my transformed thoughts into a transformed life.  As my heart continues to be tweaked by the Holy Spirit, I know that my actions will continue to follow.  :)   Man, God is pretty awesome.

Thoughts on Atheism...

This morning I saw an article about NYC.  There is apparently a billboard battle going on between Atheists and Christians...each trying to prove how ridiculous the other one is...through billboards.  Wow.  Talk about Merry Christmas...

Anyway, this got me really thinking about people who don't believe in God.  It seriously just kind of breaks my heart.  I can't relate and really have no way of understanding this train of thought.  I have believed in God and Jesus since I can remember.  My entire life is based around my belief that I serve the One True God and that His son, Jesus, sacrificed his life on the cross for my salvation.  It's where my joy comes from.  It's where my purpose comes from.  It's where my hope lies. 

When Christmas season rolls around, along with it comes the idea that we shouldn't forget the "reason for the season."  I feel like not only should we remember why we celebrate this happy joyful time of year, but we should also take this time to prayyyyy it up for nonbelievers.  At a time when Jesus is the focus (or is supposed to be), shouldn't we be focusing not only on his sacrifice, but on his LIFE...on the fact that his entire purpose was to save us from the world.  Since he is no longer here, shouldn't we be doing our part in that effort?  I'm not saying we should go knock down ppl's doors with Jesus flyers, or scream on the corners about the gates of hell (puhLEASE don't do that mess) but just spend some time praying that the Holy Spirit is MOVING and that we are reflecting His Beautiful Light to any and everyone we come in contact with! Sounds cheesy.  But dude.  It's The Truth...right?  The Truth of our every day.

K...that's my soapbox. 

DISCLAIMER:  If you are not a believer, I think no more and no less of you.  It makes me sad that you don't believe in the God I serve, but I love you (A LOT!!) and want to be your friend (really bad) regardless of your faith.  Promise.  I mean that with every fiber of my being.

Matt Chandler Interview

After going through the first half of treatments for brain cancer, Matt Chandler sat for an interview.  Even BEFORE this cancer journey, God used Matt in insanely huge ways to reach an insane number of people.  And through this cancer journey, He is continuing to bring more and more glory to Himself.  Pretty awesome.  God is crazy good.

CHECK IT OUT.

Baptism

On Sunday, B and I visited Emily's church to see her get baptized!!!! Yayyyy :)))

I also got to meet Kori, who I have heard so much about. Yay for friends :)

The entire service was devoted to baptism. Apparently their preacher had delivered a super awesome message on baptism the previous week and the response was HUGE! There were at LEAST 50 people baptized that morning...and it's not even a very big congregation! We alternated between worship, and watching one person after another proclaim their faith in Jesus!! HOW could it possibly be any better that? Baptisms are always super exciting/emotional/joyful...but this Sunday was particularly riveting for me. I think I am just SO missing having a church family. I am missing being a part of a body of believers who come together to pour their hearts out to God every Sunday morning. I don't know... I was just sitting there thinking about each one of the people being baptized and how they each had to make the decision to dedicate their lives to Christ. Every single one of them was CHOOSING to make a change in his/her life...to just hand it over to God...it was CRAZY and it was AWESOME and it was EXCITING! This was just one small little church in Tyler, Texas, and 50 MORE PEOPLE joined God's kingdom in an hour! Imagine how many people are turning to God every day in all the rest of Tyler...in East Texas...in Texas....in the US in general.

I felt moved and encouraged and just REALLY excited about God after experiencing that. It was a blessing. It was awesome.

Congrats to my girl, Em...I'm EXCITED about how excited YOU are about what God's doing in your life and in your heart. And PS- those blonde locks are lookin goooood, girl :)

The Story of Audrey Caroline

Wow.

Ivy, a friend of mine from UT, brought a pretty amazing blog to my attention. It's called "Bring on the Rain: The Story of Audrey Caroline".

I thought I might give a quick synopsis, but I don't even know where to begin. Just click on the link. It will take you to beginning of their story and you can go from there.

Their story is an increddddible testimony to faith, God's power, and the power of relationship/fellowship in Him. Their story is SO humbling.

Love you guys so much!

Love, Joy, Peace, PATIENCE...

Not having a job has been pretty frustrating at times. I CHOSE to quit my previous job, so that I could take the time and consideration needed to find the right place of employment. However, it has taken MUCH longer than expected! (I know, I know...God is in control, not me.) I always say I'm one of those people who is MUCH more productive when I'm super busy. When I have too much free time on my hands, it's like...I don't know what to do...so I do nothing but think about what to do! sad/pathetic.... Being busy and having a jam-packed day is my comfort zone. In my world, there's no such thing as a to-do list with less than 15 bullets.

I never really thought this was a bad thing, but it has really been an issue this last month. Some days I have to work REALLY hard to convince myself to find SOMETHING productive to do instead of just sitting around and WISHING I had something useful to do...like...a job perhaps?? Anyway, last night in the shower I was thinking about how I can't wait to find a church home so that I can be fed and lifted up and equipped to go into the world! And that made me think about how I can't wait to find a JOB...so that I can once again be around people everyday. I've always felt that God has gifted me in ways that are most useful when I'm around a lot of people. Right now, I have no medium for reaching people. No circle of influence in this place. It's a frustrating feeling because I feel like I am not able to serve God in the ways that I want to ...and in the ways that I have known.

That got me to thinking about how I have felt a little bit like I'm flailing in my spiritual life. I'm not in the midst of some blatant spiritual warfare that is weighing on my heart every second...I just feel a little stagnant. In thinking so much about DOING, I have neglected myself. It's funny to think that neglecting myself is actually a very SELFISH thing. God has given me this time of few commitments, and I have not made it useful to Him. What I have seen as an unfortunate situation is really a BLESSING from God. Not once in this last month have I just busted out my bible, sat in silence and said, "okay God, show me somethin..." I have been too caught up in being "bored." How pathetic am I? I don't know WHY it took me this long to realize that I am being blessed with the gift of time. AN AMAZING gift whose face I have RARELY seen in my life. When I don't have it, I LONG for it...now that I have it, I have been completely blind to see it. Stupid Satan... always making me feel dumb for falling for your little tricks.

Thank You Lord for not giving up on me!

Anyway, a shout out to my Awesome Father who, once again, has humbled me, blessed me and been miiighty patient with me!

Love Letter from Our Father

This is one of my favorite things, and I just stumbled it across it for the first time in FOREVER! The first time I saw it was when I led a class at the Girls Reflecting Glory Conference @ FCCC... I fell inn LOVE with it then, but lost my copy of it soon afterwards. It's a reallyyy cool thing to read each day to remind ourselves just how AMAZING The Love of Christ is!!

You may not know me, but I know everything about you... Psalm 139:1
I know when you sit down and when you rise up... Psalm 139:2
I am familiar with all your ways... Psalm 139:3
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered... Matthew 10:29-31
For you were made in my image... Genesis 1:27
In me you live and move and have your being... Acts 17:28
For you are my offspring.... Acts 17:28
I knew you even before you were conceived... Jeremiah 1:4-5
I chose you when I planned creation... Ephesians 1: 11-12
You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book... Psalm 139:15-16
I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live... Acts 17:26
You are fearfully and wonderfully made... Psalm 139:14
I knit you together in your mother's womb... Psalm 139:13
And brought you forth on the day you were born... Psalm 71:6
I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me... John 8:41-44
I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love... I John4:16
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you simply because you are my child and I am your father... 1 John3:1
I offer you more than your earthlyparents ever could... Matthew 7:11
For I am the perfect father/mother... Matthew 5:48
Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand... James 1:17
For I am your provider and I meet all your needs... Matthew 6:31-33
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope... Jeremiah 29:11
Because I love you with an everlasting love... Jeremiah 31:3
My thoughts towards you are countless as the sand on the seashore... Psalm 139:17-18
And I rejoice over you with singing... Zephania 3:17
I will never stop doing good to you... Jeremiah 32:40
For you are my treasured possession... Exodus 19:5
I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul... Jeremiah 32:41
And I want to show you great and marvelous things... Jeremiah 33:3
If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me... Deuteronomy 4:29
Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart... Psalm 37:4
For it is I who gave you those desires... Phillipians 2:13
I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine... Ephesians 3:20
For I am your greatest encourager... 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
I am also the Father/Mother who comforts you in all your troubles... 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you... Psalm 34:18
As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close you my heart... Isaiah 40:11
One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes and will take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth.... Revelation 21:3-4
I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus... John 17:23
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed... John 17:26
He is the exact representation of my being... Hebrews 1:3
He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you... Romans 8:31
And to tell you that I am not counting your sins... 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Jesus died so that I could be reconciled... 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you... I John 4:10
I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love... Romans 8:38-39
Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen... Luke 15:7
I have always been your Parent, and will always be your Parent... Ephesians 3:14-15
My question is ... Will you be my child? John 1:12-13
I am waiting for you ... Luke 15:11-32

That's MY King!!

Okay, so I know everyone has already seen this, but they showed it at the church we went to here in Tyler on Sunday and I rediscovered how much I totally love this video. It's a recording of a famous sermon that was delivered in California in 1976. S.M. Lockridge has got this totally passionate voice...AND I love hearing all of the names used to describe God...it's pretty awesome! :) Check it:

"God's Quarterback"

Ha! I don't about calling him, "God's Quarterback," but I thought this was a pretty cool story!

I stumbled across this story while on my daily ESPN.com surfing trip :) It's exciting to hear stories like this....stories about people who are taking advantage of the size of their circle of incluence to increase God's Kingdom...without having to be in the spotlight. Pretty inspiring! Check it out...even if you DON'T like football!! ;o)

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hill/071107&sportCat=nfl