One For the Guys...

New Adventures

A while ago I committed myself to blogging once a week, and now I'm feeling guilty for not doing it! But it's not a good kind of guilt...so I'm releasing myself from that. If God gives me something to write I will most certainly do it. Until then I will be enjoying some new adventures in this season of my life...

Jacob is now in baseball. Just adding practice two nights a week seems to fill up our schedule. I can't imagine what it will be like when all 3 boys are playing sports! I am thankful for now that there is a playground next to the ball field, so Brady and Isaac have a fun place to burn off some of their energy :)

(Isaac will be 5 years old tomorrow!)

I recently began a Women's Bible Study called Anointed, Transformed, and Redeemed: A Study of David. This is the first time I've done a study that includes a workbook with daily homework. I like this added component, but it takes time if I really want to benefit from it.

With the help of a friend I am working on landscaping the front of our house. We have not done a thing with landscaping since we moved in 9 years ago, so it's about time. I've put it off because I know very little about gardening and haven't wanted to take the time to learn. There is no turning back now though...we've already ripped out all our bushes. And as Isaac would say there are large "bones" sticking out of the ground. Time to add some beauty...

And finally I will be preparing to be part of the worship event "Called to Belong" in August. The thought of being up on a stage in any capacity makes me uncomfortable, so this will be a stretch. However, I love music, I love my husband and those involved, and I have every reason in the world to praise my heavenly Father, so why not? I have not been in a choir since junior high! Hoping that my voice will be pleasant to His ears and to those around me LOL


So that's what is happening in my life amidst the daily routines and trying to balance work and rest. My days are full, but not too busy that I don't have room to breathe or be available to others. And that's just how I want them to be.

Come Awake

The Naming of Sarah

Her name wasn't always Sarah...it used to be Sarai. Her story is one that has intrigued me this week as if I'm reading it with new eyes.


It begins with her marriage to Abram. I wonder if she knew how much that one event would change her life. God instructs Abram to gather his family and move to a new land. So Sarai obediently leaves behind everything and everyone she has ever known. After traveling a great distance to this promised land there is a famine, requiring them to go to Egypt temporarily. Here is where her knight in shining armor lets her down. Because Abram feared for his own life, he partially lied about his relationship with Sarai, resulting in her being taken into the king's harem. I wonder how special she felt surrounded by the other women, knowing that her husband had decided not to fight for her. Thankfully God came to her rescue by making the truth known to the pharaoh so that she was returned to her rightful place.


So they left Egypt and made a life for themselves in Canaan. God had promised Abram descendants as numerous as the stars, yet after 10 years Sarai was still barren. I can hear her asking herself "What is wrong with me? Am I not worthy?" In a moment of weakness she suggested to Abram that he bear children with her servant Hagar instead. I wonder if she was hoping he would say "No Sarai, you are my wife and the only one I want. We will wait on God who will fulfill His promise". But instead Abram agreed. Hagar became pregnant, Sarai became bitter, and the drama began.


Thirteen years later, God once again declares his promise to make Abram the father of many nations. This time He changes Abram's name to Abraham and they form a covenant. God says his covenant will be fulfilled through a son born to Sarai. And He gives Sarai a new name as well. Maybe because He could see her heart, her hurts, her questions. He knew she needed affirmation of her worth... so He says "From now on you shall call her Sarah", which means princess.


Sarah's story doesn't end there. Even with a new name and a fresh promise, Abraham once again decides not to claim Sarah as his wife and allows her to be taken into another king's palace. This man may be a great patriarch, but he sure is a slow learner! Once again, God comes to her rescue. He then fulfills His promise by blessing her with a son and bringing her laughter.


Abraham was a good man, and therefore I assume a good husband, but he had some stumbles at his wife's expense. I see the Lord as the real hero in Sarah's story. He is the one who rescues her (twice) and affirms her with a new name. And we too can look to that same hero to rescue us and name us "princess". After all, we are daughters of the King!

My Princess Heart

It's no secret that women love fairy tales and romance. In Nicole Johnson's book, Keeping a Princess Heart, she identifies three elements that these tales stir up in a woman's soul...the desire to be known, the longing to be loved, and the yearning to see that all will be well. But the problem we run into, myself included, is when we expect these desires to be fully satisfied by men.

"Women put men under enormous pressure to be the prince. Most of the time we aren't even aware of how much we do it. Somewhere along the journey we stopped hoping that the prince would come and started hoping that the prince would come through. The hope of his physical presence changed into a demand for his emotional presence. Some of those expectations are normal and right. But if a woman doesn't yet know her own name, or if she thinks that the love she has (or doesn't have) is all the love there is, she might end up clutching the prince by the throat. Every woman seeks to get the love she needs from an earthly prince, but at some level it will not satisfy her - ever. The thirst for love in a woman's heart must be met first by a higher love, from a well that won't run dry. Unfortunately, an earthly prince just doesn't have enough water... So the princess must first look into the face of God's Son. She must trust her love from the Prince of heaven above the love of any earthly prince. Whether she is single, married, divorced with three children, or a young teenager entering the world of love, she must turn her gaze to meet his eyes before looking into the eyes of anyone else." - Nicole Johnson

I have a great husband, but he can't fulfill all my needs. I benefit from reminders, like this one, to keep my eyes focused on the only prince who can satisfy my princess heart.