The Confessing Lunatic

Jim was studying for his Sunday School lesson and came accross a hymn that neither of us had ever heard. It is, without a doubt, one of the coolest songs I have ever heard so I want to share it with you! Complete in Thee! no work of mine May take, dear Lord, the place of Thine; Thy blood hath pardon bought for me, And I shall stand complete in Thee. Yea, justified! O blessed thought! And sanctified! Salvation wrought! Thy blood hath pardon bought for me, And glorified, I too, shall be! Complete in Thee—no more shall sin, Thy grace hath conquered, reign within; Thy voice shall bid the tempter flee, And I shall stand complete in Thee. Complete in Thee—each want supplied, And no good thing to me denied; Since Thou my portion, Lord, wilt be, I ask no more, complete in Thee. Dear Savior! when before Thy bar All tribes and tongues assembled are, Among Thy chosen will I be, At Thy right hand—complete in Thee. I found an a cappella version of this song on YouTube. It's really wonderful!

During lunch today I sat and just watched my kids, marveling at how distinctly different each of my children are AND knowing that I had nothing to do with it; God did. When Jordan was born there was no one to compare him to. He was unique. Then Caitlin came. Since she was a girl, we naturally assumed that she would be completely different from Jordan. It was when Jaden was born that I realized just how marvelous my children are and how wonderful God is. Jaden is nothing like the first two. Sure there are glimpses of Jordan and even hints of Caitlin but he is definitely his own person. In fact, looking back on my pregnancy when Jaden was thirteen months old, I knew he was strong-willed even in the womb. When Calise was born is was no surprise that she was not like the other three. She is girly; Caitlin is not. Caitlin is outgoing; Cali is not. Jordan is obedient; Jaden is, well, learning to be obedient. Jordan is reserved; Jaden is extra active. But one thing that is common to each of m...

Everyday I am reminded of God's peace but none more so as this weekend. Sunday after we came home from church, we found our older dog, Copper, on his back in the backyard, obviously in distress. He was caught in our electric fence and for the several hours we were away, he was unable to get to shade or water. As Jim went outside, he looked at me and said, "I think this is it." Immediately all our children began to cry. We've known for a while that Copper was not well and probably would not be with us for long. We've tried to prepare the children but nothing, other than prayer, really can prepare them for the loss of a friend. Jim picked up Copper and brought him inside. As the kids stood around us crying, I watched as Jim tried to get Copper some water. Jim and I looked at each other knowing the answer to the question, "What should we do?" but we wanted the kids to come to the same conclusion. I'm not sure what was harder in this situation -- watchin...

Mother's Day was an awesome day! It started with breakfast in bed -- Jaden made me eggs, Jordan made toast with butter and copious amounts of blackberry jam, Caitlin poured a Diet Pepsi into a tall glass with crushed ice and Jordan placed everything on the tray with great artistic flare. I've taken a picture and if I get my act together and download the picture from the camera, I'll post it here. Worship was a treat...the message was different yet insightful. We learned a number of scriptures relating to the role of mothers in raising children while receiving items to plant -- soil, seeds, water and a vessel (cup). Then after a wonderful meal with Jim's parents and grandmother, we went to my parents house. It was wonderful just sitting having a conversation with my mom and dad. The kids were being noisy so we sent them home to watch TV. Then after a long nap, we watched the final episode of Amazing Race 14. Our favorite team won so that was the culmination of a great d...

If you desire intimate union with God you must be willing to pay the price for it. The price is small enough. In fact, it is not even a price at all: it only seems to be so with us. We find it difficult to give up our desire for things that can never satisfy us in order to purchase the One Good in Whom is all our joy - and in Whom, moreover, we get back everything else that we have renounced besides! The fact remains that contemplation will not be given to those who willfully remain at a distance from God, who confine their interior life to a few routine exercises of piety and a few external acts of worship and service performed as a matter of duty. Such people are careful to avoid sin. They respect God as a Master. But their heart does not belong to Him. - Thomas Merton – I am in a rare moment of silence. The time of prayerlessness has ended...or has it? This quote has stung me. Like a bee. What’s interesting about this quote is that this topic it is exactly what I was listeni...

This past Sunday I shared with my Sunday School class the verses from Hebrews 12 that got me through my overwhelming week at work. In fact, we studied the first twelve. This week has been no less overwhelming but God knew I would need confirmation of His presence. As I was reading tonight, I clicked on Average Girl and discovered my confirmation. Her last post talked about the same passage in Hebrews that I had been reading. God is so cool - to speak through others whom I have never met but share a bond with is just awesome. So, thanks God.

I googled "live in God" for the Live in God, Not in Fear post and came across this. I just had to share. It is excerpted from The Keys to Spiritual Growth by John MacArthur, ©2001, published by Crossway Books. “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” The Westminster Shorter Catechism How does a person glorify God? No question is more practical or more significant. The supreme purpose in life for any man or woman—for anyone who has ever been born into this world—is to glorify God. That is what living is all about. Glorifying God is the end result of the Christian life. Spiritual maturity is simply concentrating and focusing on the person of God until we are caught up in His majesty and His glory. I would like to suggest some practical ways for the Christian to glorify God: • Confess Your Sins . Confession of sin glorifies God because if you excuse your sin, you absolve yourself of responsibility and blame God for letting you get into a mess. Adam i...

I saw the title of this post somewhere. I confess...I thought it would make a good blog subject so as soon as I got home, I started this post. Unfortunately, it's sat there as a draft for a month now. I don't know why I feel compelled to complete this post or why it matters to me, but it does. I just can't bear to delete it. So, why do so many live in fear? Just look around you. There are signs everywhere warning us about this cancer or that bad food (hello, donuts) or the dangers of using the hairdryer while in the shower or bathtub. Some fear is good...a healthy respect for things that are dangerous is not necessarily a bad thing. Warnings such as don't touch the stove or you'll burn your hand; look both ways before crossing the street; and always wear clean underwear because you never know when you're going to get into an accident are ones to keep in mind. My warning to my children every time we visit a restroom is always wash your hands and NEVER tou...

After a wonderful day at the National Zoo, we had lunch at the Spy Cafe, finished our shopping and left for the airport. Now as I sit home, with kids in their beds, I am happy. God is so good. Better than any friend, better than any job, better than any experience I've experienced ever. I marvel at the privilege I have to be the mother to my kids and wife to my husband. I confess...I don't like being away from my family but if I have to work, then thank God He's given me the job I have. I love what I do. No, I don't always like it but what a wonderful honor to work and have a small part in the places where our Nation's Soldiers will sleep, eat, work and play. How cool is that? I get to travel around the country (and world...Japan, Germany) and teach others what I know. Beyond all that, I have the greatest story to tell. I am a sinner. God is holy and can't have any part of me and my sin. I deserve death but instead I have life. I have life because Jes...

Two weeks ago I had the privilege of going to Okinawa, Japan to teach a portion of a class that I've been teaching since Caitlin was a baby - Design Build. I teach one full day of the four and half day class. I have some pictures that I will share in another post soon. This week I'm in our nation's Capitol with Jim and Caitlin. I had a meeting scheduled and ticket prices were decent so they decided to come along and be tourists while I work. Jim and I have wanted to take Caitlin on a trip with just the two of us since Jim and Jordan got to go to New York. I'm so glad we've gotten this opportunity. On Friday when we get back from DC, Jim and his mom will fly to Minnesota to surprise his cousin, Corey, who is having a wedding reception on Saturday. They will get back on Monday, June 2nd. On Thursday, Jim will fly to Indiana to work SBC. In August, Jim will fly to Egypt to participate in a media missions team. So, if you take my trips, our trip, and Jim...

I confess...blogging has been the last thing on my mind this past week. Work has, unfortunately, been the first thing on my mind, which does NOT make for a happy Lunatic but a very, very tired Lunatic. So rather than create bogus posts for the week, I thought I would highlight my week since my last post. Saturday, March 22 - We spent the evening with friends eating dinner and talking, and talking and talking! It was a great way to spend several hours and recharge from the stuff of the week. God is so good to give friends that, even though we don't see very often, we can pick up where we left off the last time we met and talk like we saw each other the day before. What's even better is that our kids - our four kids and their two girls - got along so well. Ah, the uniting ability of the Wii. ;o) So, D...when are we getting together again? It's our turn so let's do hamburgers on the grill! YUM! Send me a list of dates. April will be filled before we both know it....

Verizon has made an impression on the world with their commercials with the guy saying "Can you hear me now?" I was thinking of my prayer life today and that phrase came to mind. Strange isn't it? I have this mental image of me going to place after place asking God, "Can you hear me now?" But I wonder...how often does God have the same response with us? He reveals Himself through Scripture. He reveals Himself in nature. He reveals Himself through friends and family. He reveals Himself in the messages and Bible studies in which we participate. Why then is it so hard to hear from Him? "Speak Lord, for your servant is listening." 1 Samuel 3:9b

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. I found this scripture and a related sermon on a blog I came across while reading Average Girl's blog. Rather than re-post what was written, I encourage you to go here . There really isn't more I can say on the subject, except...amen.

I confess...I have a headache again and I'm fed up with it. But as I was walking to get lunch, I wondered if my reluctance to rely on God for the small things in my life like this headache is causing me to be reluctant to rely on God for the larger things in my life? In 1 John 4:15-17, John writes, "If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him." I have acknowledged that Jesus is the Son of God. I know I can rely on the love God has for me. But it is beyond that initial reliance that I seem to fall short. It's like when a little kid who, left to his or her own devices, will eat and eat candy until they make themselves sick. I know what I am supposed to do; I know in my hea...

Tonight we had an interesting lesson at church. Jim asked us to complete a questionnaire titled, "God and Me." The questions seem easy enough but one question in particular gave me difficulty. Here are the questions: 1. What word picture best describes your relation ship with God? 2. What are the highlights of your relationship with God over the past year? 3. What were the most significant struggles in your relationship with God this past year? 4. On a scale of 1 to 100 (100 being completely satisfied and 1 absolutely dissatisfied), how satisfied are you with your relationship with God? Explain. 5. On a scale of 1 to 100 ( 100 being completely satisfied and 1 absolutely dissatisfied), how satisfied do you think God is with your relationship. Explain. 6. What are three steps you can take to be more satisfied with your relationship with God? Question 2 really stumped me. While we didn't have a lot of time to complete the questionnaire and to discuss with our grou...

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Psalm 36:5 I STILL have a headache. I stayed home from work today because I hurt so bad. But when it really comes down to it, I must confess...I was feeling sorry for myself. I am frustrated at the situation I'm in at work; I was feeling restless yet in my arrogance, refused to rely on God. I even wrote about finding rest in God but last night when it was time to go to sleep, the rest didn't come. I am concerned and discouraged over the state of a couple of things in my personal life. This too, I failed to give over to God. As I was showering to get ready to go meet at church for the annual Christmas caroling, I fully surrendered to God. I couldn't take the pain anymore and I couldn't do anything more than surrender. This headache had knocked me to my knees and I would like to be able to say when I fully surrendered to God, that the headache went away. But it didn't. When we got to the...

Enough said? I have much I want to say on this topic yet I can't figure out where to start because the end of the topic is the title of this post. God is God. Perhaps that is all that needs to be said.

Isn't it wonderful to know that when we need God most, He is there revealing Himself in that still small voice? I needed desperately to hear from Him today. When I was finished with class, I pulled out my reading plan which was 2 Corinthians 1-3. My eyes immediately fell to verse s 3 and 4. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." I immediately tried to remember the words to a chorus we sing at church...it goes something like: God of all comfort. God of all fears. We have come to seek You. We have come to seek Your face. While I do not enjoy being away from my family, especially for two weeks, I love being away from my desk, from everyday stuff that doesn't allow me to focus on the task at hand. This course is without a doubt the most in-depth course I have tak...

I'm in Charlottesville, Virginia for a two week class at the University of Virginia, Darden School of Business. I flew into Richmond because it was the only flight I could get. So I and my friend Ginger, who is also taking the course with me, rented a car and drove north to Charlottesville. I confess...I love Texas but absolutely nothing beats the glory of seeing the leaves in all their glorious fall splendor. As I drove, I couldn't help but praise God for the beauty that I was honored to see. At some point I will have to bring my children to this area of the country. Thank you, Lord for fall.

Yesterday while working I listened to a song co-written by Wes Martin, Jeff Berry and others. It struck a chord with me because of where I am in my walk with the Lord. I thought I would share it because it is so profound. It is called "Glorious." Who is there beside You Who can stand before Your throne We are crying out to You How do we begin To search the wonder that You are To understand the mind of God To know the nature of Your heart Glorious You are Marvelous You are God alone You are the God Of creation You are the love calling deep You are the fear and the glory We cry out I absolutely love songs of affirmation of God's character and holiness. When I begin to focus on me rather than on Him, I am reminded through song that there is more to life than my issues. God is much bigger than me, than you, than everything under the sun! Thank God for two-by-four reminders!