Musings from a Busy Mom

There will always be times that we, in our human flesh, will disappoint just as there will always be times we will be disappointed by others. There is always going to come a time when you don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye with even your best of friends.  However, in true friendship you look beyond those disagreements and look to what is really important to your relationship - how important you are to each other.  I once thought I had my tribe in an organization, especially after I became a leader at its highest volunteer level and was welcomed into a small 'sisterhood' of like-minded women. But the way some of the women from what I considered my "tribe" have behaved and treated others, myself included, is inexcusable… they are only with you if you agree with them on all fronts.  You disagree with something, you are called names, lumped with others by stereotypes, or ridiculed.  You leave the organization, you leave the tribe.  This painful process can be, an

This year I got to take the summer off.  Now, my friends who know what all I did this summer would say that is a crazy, unfactual statement. I took my children strawberry picking and we made a dozen jars of strawberry jam. I went with my youngest to CentriKid (a children’s camp) in Alabama. I went with my older two on a Student Life Missions camp in North Carolina.  I spent a week in South Carolina visiting family (and a good friend). While in South Carolina I purchased a lot of peaches, which means I made lots of jam and some canned peaches. I took children to various birthday parties. I spent time with my children and my chickens - and a little time running from a bossy rooster. I started our homeschool back up and I went to an out of town funeral.  Physically, my summer was very busy, mostly good, and exhausting. But before you say it, no, I am not lying about taking the summer off. Compared to my summer, I did not physically do very much this past spring, but I had a very bu

Like most people I know, I grieve over the state of our nation, over the divide between our people, and over the lives recently taken; and I am outraged by the actions of my fellow citizens. I am mad that we as a country are not yet respecting each other as equals. I am angered by people blocking highways and interstates, keeping ambulances from quickly rendering aid, from employees getting to work, and from moms and dads returning home to their families. I am furious that people are using recent events as an excuse to attack others. Yet at the same time I am heartbroken for all the people affected by these issues.  I am sad so many do not respect life - their own or the lives of others. I am mournful over those who souls have not found true peace. All lives matter. No one is better than anyone else. We all are created equal, we all are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights. We are all equal in God's eyes. We are all broken; we have all done wrong. In our co

A few months ago we added chickens to our backyard.   Yes, we already had one, but she is more like a member of the family… I joke that she needed pets. Molly Boy We had one chicken that was ‘unsexed’ and knew we had a 50/50 shot of a hen, which is what we wanted.   However, as Big Red started showing signs that he was indeed a young rooster, our little Molly started to crow (he is now known as Molly Boy). When I am already awake and going about my day, I don’t mind hearing the roosters crowing.   In fact, I find it endearing.   I even enjoy hearing their little ‘crow-offs’ in the middle of the day.   However, roosters do like to crow at (or just before) the break of dawn.   And when I am sleeping, I do not like to hear a rooster crowing. That once sweet enjoyable sound grates on my nerves.   The roosters are doing the same thing they always do, but at that moment I do not want to hear it… I do not want to be awakened. The other day I when I was listening to the roost

We can all agree Jesus did spend time with sinners. He did so to save them.  We, too, must spend time with people in order to bring them to a saving knowledge of Christ.  That means we have to get go into the trenches and that means things get messy.  In my last blog I mentioned a leadership training I facilitated in April.  Another speaker on that DVD spoke of a church giving out condoms and tourniquets. The message I got was that we were to love all moms - and that we show them love by helping them sin safely.  I certainly agree we should love all moms - all people - regardless of their lifestyles or religions. But I believe we should love them enough to not only interact with them, but to tell them the truth.  Tell them of what Jesus has done.  Tell them of the consequences of sin but that there is a free gift of life waiting for them to accept. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23) Y

Blooming flowers always remind me of coming alive - of a blooming of the soul. ~ Sara There are a lot of organizations, life coaches, and even songs inviting people to come alive. In April I hosted a leadership training event for a ministry in which I was involved at the time. Most of our training was on a DVD.  There was one speaker on the DVD who said “everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who loves anyone knows God and has been born of God… anyone who has interacted with love at all knows God and has been born of God.”  He continued later to say he wants to be the kind of person that no matter what people are doing in their world/in their life they knew that he is a person who believes in God and saw God in them. “Because if they love they know God and are born of God.” Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6). Scripture also says: “No one who is born of God practice