HAPPY FALL, FINALLY

I'm not much on Halloween. But I dearly love pumpkins. Fresh pumpkin pies, pumpkin muffins, bread and Starbuck's pumpkin spice latte all point to the fact that it's finally below 90 degrees in Houston. Of all the ways I love that fabulous fall fruit, I think I've discovered my favorite! Let me introduce Mr. Josiah Haines! He is Jeremy and Jessica's baby boy and he is such a delight. He's a snuggle bug for whoever holds him. He adores his brother and sister. There is always the biggest smile on his little face. He just turned 1 and we cannot imagine our life without him.

This baby of our family is secure of his place never doubting the love of his family. He's a bit of a flirt, watching for the opportunity to catch your eye and give you the biggest grin. He is content to play on his own, but if you are in need of some cuddling, he's happy to oblige. He's our 5th grandchild but we just call him our baby boy!

LIFE

Today I was devastated to read about another child who lost their battle with cancer and gained heaven's glory.

I laughed with my daughter-in-love who crossed a line into serious motherhood as she left the car dealership with a mini-van.

I grieved once again over a loved one who can't remember her name or her children.

I experienced great frustration at the drive thru of a local fast food restaurant, which was anything but FAST

I fell more madly in love with my Grand Blessings as their Mom sent me snippets and snapshots of their little lives.

AND

I worried over the future because of the never ending doom of the headlines.

Life would really be crazy and perhaps hopeless if not for my Jesus....

In the overflow of my changing emotions, I find His life for me. One of frustration and failures, abundance and grace... I am at thankful and I am at rest.

OH MY GOODNESS, I THINK I'M GOOD AND MAD

A sweet and precious young woman just posted a link on facebook to a blog explaining all the bad stuff about Women's Ministry. I'm not mad at her, I'm furious with the woman who wrote the blog. (Sarah Bessy, "Why we don't need Women's Ministry at chuchleaders.com) It made me fighting mad! I don't think I am un-biased on this subject. For pity sakes I've spent most of my adult life (and that's a lot of years) involved with the women of one church or another. I very personally, know the good, the bad and the ugly about women in the church. And you know what... the good and the Godly far outweigh the bad stuff.

I've never seen anyone like women seeking after the Lord in Bible Study. None seemed to care if there was a feminine cover on the study or not. It is the women from these groups that take meals and clean the house of another woman who is suffering the devastating effects of chemotherapy. These "shallow" women are the exact ones who show up at the door of another woman who just suffered another miscarriage, or buried her 1 year old. These are the women who hold up another woman who just saw her husband walk out the door after 20 years of marriage. These exact women help rescue another woman who has been beaten to a pulp by her husband. They have helped encourage the marriages in the group, clothe and feed the children who were without and managed to walk through some serious fires without smelling like smoke. They are not shallow or innocent of what the world has to offer.

These very same women would really love for some woman to start a workplace Bible study downtown. They would appreciate some help caring for those who have been unjustly treated by society. They wouldn't even mind if you started a group to discuss world religions, theology or politics. An art or music class for the children in the inner city would be a great place to start.

Stop waiting for an invitation to pray, work or minister to others. I encourage you to get off your soapbox and get busy in the middle of ministry. The church will be better for it.

Maybe just maybe, the reason your Ladies Night was filled with frivolous things like cupcakes and crafts is because most of the women who attended were exhausted and drained from their life of ministry. They needed a night of fun and laughter. They needed a place to take their "lost" neighbor that was not threatening or overly religious.

Does the church need Women's Ministry? Yes, you bet it does. Ms. Bessy, you are right, it's not just for the married women pushing a double stroller. (Although several of those also run marathons for causes important to them.) Women's Ministry is for you and women just like you who want a group that meets them where they are. Why don't you start one for women like that? You don't even have to bring cupcakes.

I feel better now....

FRIENDS

My goodness, it's been a while since I posted to this blog. The baby boy I last wrote about is now 18 months old. There's been another baby boy Haines (I'll write about precious Josiah very soon!) And just to make our life perfect, baby Landen Haines is coming in January. Goodness knows I could write forever about those precious children, but that's not why I signed on today.

Today I want to talk about friends. Real friends that have been around my life for a long time. Friends who know about every stupid, childish thing I've ever thought about. Women who know all my faults and failures, but would swear to others those are their favorite things about me! (They then would pull me aside and tell me to get my life together.) Ladies who I have laughed my head off with and shared an equal amount of tears. Friends....

On Monday, a good friend who helped me raise my boys, had the opportunity to share some things on his behalf. There is something incredibly special about knowing someone long enough they can share stories about your 32 year old kid and his Superman under roos! Time and miles traveled together for that long equal some deep roots in a relationship. Those roots are buried so deep, even a full on Texas drought cannot affect them.

On Wednesday after Bible Study I had a very special time at lunch with two other old friends and one new one. Oh, how I wish I had a picture of that table laden with good Tex Mex food and diet coke with lime in it. With two of the ladies I have shared some real life experiences. Experiences like wonderful kids, not so wonderful kids on other days, sickness, health, death and moving vans. The new friend is new to our area. We don't have any history with her. She has children that are all grown up, grandchildren she's so proud of and a fresh empty place in her heart from losing her husband to cancer just over a year ago. We vowed to include her, introduce her and invite her into our lives. One of us is a widow and promised to share some needed information. One of us will get her plugged in to serve Jesus here in Houston. And, one of us promised to not tell funny stories about her at speaking engagements.... at least for a little while.

I just know we are going to love her and she will surely enrich our lives. A few years back, I might have thought I did not have time or space for another friend, but now I know better. Time and space is more limited every day. I've got to make the most of every opportunity. People say "You can't be too rich or too thin." I don't know much about either of those things, but I know I can't ever have too many friends!


Share some encouragement today with the friends God has given you.

THE BABY GRANDSON

As most of you know, David and I have been adding precious grandchildren to our family at a rapid rate! Between our two sons, we have added a grandchild about every six months for the past 3 years! In late September our next blessing is scheduled to make his appearance. That will be 4 grandsons and 1 grand princess. We are having a ball! God has certainly given us a full quiver.

For just a few more weeks, little Micah David is our baby. I realized I haven't written much on him. I shared with one of my daughters-in-loves that I have decreased the number of pictures and the things written as our family has grown. I do not want to be one of "those" grandmothers!!

Our Micah is a precious little guy. He is ALWAYS in a good mood. If he whimpers, he has a reason. He grins all the time. You can make him smile by just looking his way. He really does light up the room. He loves his Mommy the best. She had a dentist appointment the other day and had to take him with her because he cannot bear to have her out of his sight. He is good natured enough to sit quietly as long as he can see her. When it's time to go to bed, he sleeps peacefully knowing that all is well with his little world.

I wish I was more like our fourth grand baby. I fret far too much and can be stingy with my feelings. There are some days that I just cannot get happy with anyone. I'm too quick to take offense and too slow to forgive. Many times I run from my Heavenly Father's presence rather that sit contentedly at His feet. I miss too much because I'm bored with the present and keep looking to the future or worse yet, keep looking back in regret.

God used my sons to teach me many spiritual truths about being a heavenly child. It looks like He is now using the next generation. Thank you sweet Micah for those lessons for your Nonnie.

THE PURPLE BUS

I just returned from a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It was not my first trip, but it was my first trip without David. He is such a Biblical history buff, I depended on him to explain everything to me. This time I had to pay attention for myself. I went with a suitcase full of doubts and questions. I returned with fewer questions and some sweet personal words from my God. Perhaps I will share about some of those personal ponderings at some point, but for now I am sorting through them myself.

I do want to tell you about something wonderful God did for me in Israel that had nothing to do with the holy geography. We were each assigned to either a Blue or Green Bus to take us from place to place. I was on the Green bus. The first day we all did great in following our instructions (we were tired!) The second day found many of the Green Bus passengers a little more outspoken and a little less inclined to march to the same drummer as everyone else. I began to tease those on the back of the bus with the threat of putting them on the "Purple" Bus that I had designated for the troublemakers. By the third day, I was given a name tag that changed me from the Green Bus to the Purple Bus and named me the Captain! With my propensity to plan and participate in parties, you can imagine the fun we all had.

By the time the week was up, we had traveled many miles, shared our life stories and wept tears with one another. We helped each other over the rough terrain, shared water,sunscreen and umbrellas. We walked together where Jesus walked and saw the mountains and valleys He traveled through. We prayed where Jesus prayed and saw the grave that could not contain Him!

For most of my adult life, I have served in Leadership for women. I loved (almost) every minute of it. In this season of my life, it is not what God has for me. But in Israel, somewhere in the middle of our antics and laughter, God spoke to me and reminded me of what a gift that time of service was for me. The women I traveled with this week encouraged me, taught me, laughed with me and shared their lives with me. I am changed forever for the time I spent with them.

A MOTHER'S JOB

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
3 John 1:4

This past week, David and I had the privilege of watching two of our grandchildren for 1 night and 2 days. We loved it, they were precious and we were exhausted by the time their Mom and Dad returned home from their Staff Retreat! To quote my precious Mother-in-law, "God knows what He's doing when He gives children to the young!"

I seems only yesterday David and I were much younger with babies of our own. I remember some long sleepless nights; toys that never stayed in the toy box and unending cries and squabbles. We went to bed each night wondering if we had hugged enough, corrected enough and hoped we had money enough to meet their needs. God always provided what we needed in every season and now they are grown doing just what their parents did almost 30 years ago.

I think a great deal about my "mothering" now that the boys are all grown up. (It's the first opportunity I have had to think.) Reflecting back, here are some things I've learned from being a Mom to Jeremy and Jordan.

1. Pure Love. I'll never get over holding my boys for the first time, fresh from the hand of God. I didn't have to fall in love, I was overtaken and run over by the feelings that overwhelmed me and I've never gotten over it.
2. Pure Joy. I have gotten the biggest kick out of their zest for life. They have made me laugh hysterically, giggle inappropriately and nearly wet my pants at their antics.
3. Pure Grace. I had to learn as I went. They never held it against me that they had to be guinea pigs for an ill-equipped Mom. I check the Best Seller Book List constantly for fear they have written a book that will expose me and my failures.
4. Pure Teaching. God used my boys to teach me so much about my relationship with Him. I would have been much more shallow and self righteous without those much needed lessons.

When I was a very young woman, I though it best that I not have children. There had been enough scars from the dysfunction in my life, that I felt disqualified for the task. I am so grateful God had other plans for me. There are many things I could have lived my life without, but being a Mom to Jeremy and Jordan is not one of them.