Wednesday, March 28, 2007

A Real Church Family

I noticed that most of my posts have been pretty downcast so I thought I might shake things up and have a positive post instead!

Last night I went to a leadership meeting for the church where my husband is a worship pastor. I laughed so hard, got lots of encouragement, enjoyed sharing a meal and just enjoyed being with friends. These are wonderful leaders and I actually love being in meetings with them!

I love this church. It is a 2nd campus of a larger church. With the design of the church, it requires a lot of team work and there is a real emphasis on building relationships. I truly love going to church every week and getting to see my church family. I have heard nightmare stories of being a minister's wife but I have yet to experience it and in fact have experienced the exact opposite.

There is a real sense of unity and excitement for God's work. I am grateful that we get to be a part of a church with such wonderful people. I never go a Sunday without many people asking how my week was, how classes are, how many days until graduation and telling me that they are praying for me often. They have invested in our lives and we are surrounded by encouragers.

My husband and I were both raised in church and both of us can remember adults in the church who were special people in our lives. I am so grateful that when we have kids, there are so many wonderful adults that will love on our kids and model to them what it is to live like a Christian man or woman.

So this was not a very profound post but it is something that I am very happy and thankful about. Maybe when classes end I will get a little more thought provoking!

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Bluebonnets!



Seeing the bluebonnets for the first time in the season is one of my favorite moments of spring. Sunday morning I got to see them for the first time on my way to church! I was so excited and told my husband "When He had them bloom this week, God knew it would make me smile today." We didn't drive that direction to church last year at this time so it was a fun surprise to see the bluebonnets.


Apparently our pastor likes them too. He taught out of Matthew 6:24-34, that darn passage that gets me every time. When he taught on verses 28-29 ("And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these."), he substituted bluebonnets in for the lilies when he was explaining the meaning.


As I already said, that entire passage on worry just gets me because I am a control freak. I think I have moved past the worry for job, security, etc. for the most part. Sure I have moments of panic but God has only proven himself faithful in our lives so I have found myself able to rest in that. It is the literal "tomorrow" that I am worrying about. I have 6 weeks left of class work. That is so short when I really think about it! But, I am so anxious for the end to be here that I am struggling with the present. I have pretty much been in a foul and distracted mood for the last 2 months and am not getting out of it. Now I am on a lot of medication to get rid of a lingering cough and that is giving me a permanent state of grogginess. So, I am not being good at being content in the situation I am in at the moment. My poor husband is trying to do everything in the world to make me smile but I finally said last night that I don't think its going to happen until after graduation because I am struggling with all that I have to do and I am worried about getting it done. Then we had the sermon the next morning...I greatly admire my husband's restraint for not elbowing me the entire sermon!


So, I have really tried hard today to be more positive. It helps that I forgot to take my medication! But really, I am trying to take the moments that are important, like jumping in my husband's lap just to have him hug me, even though I really needed to be focusing on my upcoming test. More than that though I have to remember that as much as I love the bluebonnets, the God who created them also created me and as he provides for them he provides so much more for me. So tomorrow will come and I still have things I don't want to do anymore but I am going to try to smile a little more.


I might just need to drive west on I-20 and look at the bluebonnets again!

Friday, March 2, 2007

My Own Personal Superhero


Superman has nothing on my husband! He saved me a number of times this week, including spending hours working with me to edit a paper after he had already had a long day.
It is interesting...the paper that I have been researching for and writing is an interpretation of Ephesians 5:25-33. It reads Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.
My husband was a good example to me this week of the husband Paul is describing.

Thursday, March 1, 2007

A Mother's Wisdom

You will need to read the blog from February 28 to understand this...

My mom sent me a perfect email today that made me laugh. She wrote "To quote the book 'My mom says some days are like that. Even in Australia.'" Leave it to my mother (she is a school teacher and most likely the reason I know about Alexander) to be a voice of reason and sweetly remind me of the message of the book, and really the message of life. I hope I am as smart and wise as she is one day.

My pity party is almost over. I have completed another paper and that is a great relief. I still feel significantly less intelligent than I did two days ago but I will get over it. I have to remember my professor's prayer (that he said ironically right before he handed out one of the exams that contributed to my mood) "Lord help these students to remember that their worth is not found in a grade, but in You."