Top Ten Tuesday: Bible Verses/Stories

So, I love lists! I am a sucker for them. I can't help it...they will draw me in every time. I have passed on my love of lists to my son, Jerry, and he doesn't even know it. He is always asking us, "Can I tell you my top five of [insert anything]?" or "Can I tell you all the Pokemon I know?" or "Can I tell you all the football teams I know?" It's really precious...to me...because I love lists!

Anyway, I digress. How fun would it be to start doing Top Ten Tuesdays?! I know, right? Please calm down though. I know it is exciting for you, too. So, I am going to start today with my top ten favorite Bible stories. Now this is my favorite as of today. My favorites definitely change in relation to where I am currently in my walk. It is hard to pick just a handful, because there are so many I love!

If you have any ideas of what you want to see a top ten of let me know!

Top Ten Favorite Bible Verse/Stories

10. 2 Samuel 10:4-5 

"Wherefore Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away. When they told it unto David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed: and the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return."

Come on! That is funny! They could have killed them, imprisoned them, anything, but they chose to shame them. And how many men did it take to hold them down? Certainly they didn't just sit there and let them shave half their beard. I see a struggle going on.

Could you imagine if we used the same tactics today when we got upset at someone?! Shave half their beard off and cut the rear out of their pants. Give 'em a little kick and say, "Ha! Now go back to your camp, half-beard loser pants!" 

9. 1 Samuel 1:5, 10-11, 20

"But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the Lord had shut up her womb.  And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the Lord."

This is a beautiful story of sorrow and faith. Hannah was not able to have children and it broke her heart. Yet, she prayed in faith and God blessed her with a child. Samuel grew to be a great prophet and judge. Amazing story!

8. Exodus 32:21-24

"And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them? And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf."

So, Aaron, you're telling me this calf just fell out of the fire? Hmm...seems feasible....NOT! I love Moses. I really do. He put up with a lot of stuff with these Israelites! Did Aaron really think he was going to buy this one though? The story doesn't stop there. Moses seems to handle the situation very well...go on over to Exodus 32 to read how Moses responds to this "accidental" calf. :-)

7. Judges 6:36-40 & 7:8

"And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground."

So here we have Gideon already uncertain and obviously anxious trying every which way to make sure this is what God really wants him to do (or to find a way out of it). After the second test he submitted. Then this happens:

"So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley."

Brilliant! I love that the Lord uses the foolish things of this earth to confound the wise. We are so much like Gideon in our lives. We are constantly casting fleece and questioning why God is using jars  and trumpets instead of what we think he should use. Truth of the matter, God didn't ask our opinion. Here's to jars and trumpets! :-)

6. Acts 8:27-28, 37

"And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet....And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."

Just another beautiful story revealing God's grace! Here we have a eunuch of Ethiopia reading the Old Testament Isaiah seeking truth and along comes Peter, who Bible said that the angel of Lord told him to go this way, obviously for this reason, and shows him Jesus Christ through the prophet Isaiah. Then the eunuch professes Christ and is baptized right then and there. Just beautiful, God's salvation extended to the Gentiles! Love it!

5. Joshua 24:15

"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Probably one of the more popular verses quoted in the Bible. It is a strong declaration of the choice we make. We all choose a side, whether we admit it or not. You are either for God or you're against Him. There is no in between. Choose this day...me and my house, we WILL serve the Lord. 

4. Isaiah 55:8-9

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

If asked what my favorite verse is, I would say this. It is a wonderful reminder to me that God sees a bigger picture...an eternal picture. When I don't understand...He does. When I am confused...He's not. When I struggle...He holds me up. When my world is shaking...He is my solid foundation. He is everything. I am thankful His ways and thoughts are more than mine, because I over analyze and will certainly mess things up. 

3. John 18:10 

"Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus."

Oh Peter! Zealous, semi-coo-coo Peter! Peter has to be one of my favorite people in the Bible. I feel like we have a kindred spirit, granted I've never considered chopping a dude's ear off, but I can definitely see myself in him. Jesus was so patient with him, much like He is with me. But here we have it. The soldiers have come to arrest Jesus and Peter thinking he was doing good, goes to defend Jesus and chops another human being's ear clean off. The picture I have is this: Peter wanted nothing more than to keep Jesus safe, so in his mind he is going to create a diversion so Jesus can flee. So, he pulls his swords, leaps towards Malchus while screaming "Run, Jesus! Go, hurry!" He chops the ear off spins around to see Jesus still there. Over-zealous. Jesus patiently tells Peter no, put the sword away, this is God's plan. And then in Luke we see the account of Jesus healing the man's ear. Good ole Peter! 

2. Luke 24:6a

"He is not here, but is risen"

That is victory right there! "Nuff said. No words can describe the joy that comes from the empty tomb!

1. Romans 8:1

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

I saved this verse for last, because this verse got me through a really tough time in my life. Sometimes we can't tell the difference between guilt and conviction. This verse helped me and through this verse God showed me the difference. 

Guilt is not from God. It is there to tear you down and remind you of your past failures. Conviction is Godly sorrow and that leads to repentance. Condemnation says "Look what you did! What a failure you are! How could a "Christian" do that?" Conviction says "Come to Me and I will extend My grace and forgive you and remember this no more." Condemnation shows you the problem. Conviction shows you the answer. Praise God for that! 

There you have it! What is your favorite Bible story or verse?

Dear Mom at Grocery Store:

I bet you didn't think anyone would notice, did you? Well, guess what? I saw you. I saw the way you whipped into that parking spot, already frustrated before you even put the minivan in park. I'm assuming your mood is stemming back to what just unfolded at home right before you loaded everyone up in the van, right?

Maybe your youngest threw a fit because her socks felt funny in her shoes. Maybe your oldest got attitude with you for the millionth time today. Maybe your little boy just tracked mud through the whole house. Maybe the dog just knocked over his water bowl sending water searing across the hardwood floor. Maybe dishes are piling up. Maybe the laundry is overflowing. Maybe your forgot to send your mom's birthday card out, hey let's be honest, you probably forgot to buy one. Maybe those bills are piling up and you just got off the phone with a bill collector. Maybe you just got that news you've been dreading. And grocery shopping is the last thing you want to do.

Whatever it was, it was enough. Enough for me to see that heavy cloud hanging over you and your minivan. So there you are, parked, and you start unloading all your children hurrying them along. I couldn't hear what you were saying, but I saw your arm making rapid rotations frantically trying to get them out with pleading, yet daring eyes. Pleading with them to hurry, but daring them to cross you one more time today.

I really wasn't meaning to stare, honestly, but to tell you the truth, you weren't doing much to hide your irritation. It is compelling, like a car wreck, you feel bad for the situation, but you can't hep but look. If I'm really honest, it made me feel better about myself and my parenting.

Let's move forward...you head to the door, your little ducklings in tow. One on your hip, a few more straggling behind. You are taking large strides, calling over your shoulder for the others to keep up "unless you want to be flattened like a pancake by a car." Did you really just say that to your kid? Way to instill unwarranted fear in your children! How about slowing down and walking next to them across the walkway. *Geez*

Woo-hoo! You made it inside the store with all your children unharmed. I'd say that's a successful trip so far! Oh great, here comes the nightmare...putting your children in the shopping cart. As you sling the little one on your hip off to put them in the cart, they stiffen up and start crying wailing...so loud! They want the cart that they can drive, but there's none left. Exasperated, you plead, your barter, you threaten...to no avail. So, here you are, kid back on the hip, pushing the cart with one hand.

I get my cart slowly, trying not to cross paths with you or get too close. I have a feeling you're about to blow. Then I hear it..."Mommy, I've got to go to the bathroom."

I really feel like, for a moment, time ceased to be. A strange aura fell over the entrance to that store, people around me quit moving and I turned in slow motion to see your face. Then it happened, you grew red, it started in your neck and traveled it's way up. You snapped around to that kid and let them have it, lecturing them on why they didn't go before you left the house, you told them to go, they didn't listen, they never listen to you, nobody ever listens to you!

Whoa! I hurried past you. I did not want to stick around for that. As I walked away, being careful to avoid eye contact, I definitely felt better about my parenting skills.

Truth is...I thought about you a lot through the day. I couldn't get you out of my head.

Truth is...that mother was me.


Disclaimer: This story is not true. Now, I am not saying that I did not pull bits and pieces of real-life scenarios, but in all, it was fabricated. I have read several blogs lately of open letters to parents from other parents who have simply "observed" their behavior toward their children. They have been well-written, well-intentioned, thought out, great points, and, honestly, I agree with them whole-heartedly. However, I feel we get so quick to write our letters to these parents without once thinking about what they are going through or the times we looked just like them. Maybe it's because the beam in our eye is clouding our view (Matthew 7:3). Or maybe we want to feel better about our parenting skills by allowing comparison to rear its ugly head. Truth is, I think we should talk kind to our children, build them up, love them, respect them as human beings, etc., etc., but never stroke our own ego at the expense of another mom or dad's bad day.

When we see that parent struggling to keep the kids in line or they have a distraught countenance, stop and say a pray for them, because we've all been there. We've all felt overwhelmed, alone, stressed, depressed, tired, etc. We are all in this parenting thing together, keep the judging eyes and comments to yourself.

When I said that I feel better about my parenting skills when I see parents like that, I was being honest. I do feel better, not because I feel superior to them, but because I'm humbled  knowing that I'm not alone. I mess up, a lot, but I love my children passionately and one bad day at the grocery store does not define me or my love for them.

The Last 10 Years

Yesterday was my husband's 31st birthday. As I went through the day, I started thinking about this being his first step into the 30's and I was amazed that we walked through our 20's together and this felt like the first step of walking through our 30's together, too.

I am amazed at how we were brought together and how our lives were orchestrated perfectly to find one another. Looking back, it seemed improbable that we would ever meet. I was born in Arizona, He was born in Alaska. I lived in Tennessee for 10 years. He lived in Washington and Texas and Arizona.   It wasn't until my parents bought a house when I was 17 years old, that my school district changed. It just so happened to be JT's high school. And we just so happened to be in math class together. Looking back at my 17 years, it didn't make sense. Even after meeting him, we were just friends. After high school he left to boot camp. We fell out of touch after boot camp for almost a year. I didn't even have a phone. He had no idea where I lived anymore. He just so happened to be in town on leave. And he just so happened to be at the same grocery store as I was one night. Even then, it was a quick run in, hello, and goodbye. Then he found out where I lived. We started talking...then dating....and the rest is history.

What has the last 10 years brought me? A LOT! We have had our ups and downs, good times and bad, but God has strengthened us through it all and I can think of no other person I'd want to spend all my days with on this earth. I know God brought us together for a purpose and I am grateful for that.

Looking back:

We got married. I was 19. He was 20.
We moved to North Carolina.
We had our first child. I was 20. He was 21.
We had our second child. I was 22. He was 23.
We moved to Texas.
We had our third child. I was 24. He was 25.

Things we did in our 20's:

We went parasailing over the Atlantic Ocean.
We went on a cruise to Mexico, Cayman Islands, and Jamaica.
We swam with dolphins!
We zip lined through the mountains of Jamaica over a waterfall!
We went skydiving! See this blog.
We ran a marathon together and crossed the finish line holding hands. Check out my insanity.
We both received Bachelor degrees.
We have gone to Broadway musicals, sporting events, Medieval Times, Marine Corps balls, movie theaters, arcades, bowling, theme parks, cupcake shops, taco shops, mud runs, we finished Insanity together, mission trip, Orange Leaf, driven across the country several times, Washington D.C., the Outerbanks, seen Billy the Kid's gravesite for goodness sake, shot all types of guns together, laughed and cried, lost and gained, hurt and healed.

Our most important decision we made together was to follow Christ, to give our life to Him wholly! All this other stuff is temporal, it won't mean a thing when we take our last breath.

No matter what we do, big or small, we try and make the most of it! We are far from perfect, but our union is perfect through Christ! That's enough for me!

Here's to the next 10 years my love!

Our little family!

Ugly Christmas Sweater Party

Bachelor's - Woot, woot!

'Merca!

Being Silly!

Running Shoes: $100

Entry Fee: $100

26.2 miles: Painful

5 hours: Exhausting

Crossing the finish line with the love of my life: Priceless

There will be a time...

There will be a time when they no longer want to cuddle...today is not that day.
There will be a time when they'll be too big to sleep in my bed...today is not that day.
There will be a time when they don't want a hug in public...today is not that day.
There will be a time when I can't pick them up and hold them...today is not that day.
There will be a time when I can't physically keep up with them...today is not that day.

There will be a day...

As I was going to bed last night, I took a detour and went to the kid's room. As I look at them sleeping, I am reminded that there will be a day when they move on and out from under my umbrella of control and protection. My heart aches at the thought and yet rejoices, because I am praying now for their spouses and their future families.

I bend down and scoop up my youngest and she clings to me. I grab her ladybug pillow pet and her stuffed Elfie and head to my room. My youngest is 5 years old, going on 6 in 4 months. Some say she is too old to be carried around, too old to be picked up and just held tight, too old to sleep with us in our bed. I say there will be a day when she is...but today is not that day.

Actually, all three of my children, ages 9, 7, and 5, are picked up occasionally, they all have a turn sleeping in our bed, especially with bad dreams, they are never turned away in the middle of the night when they are scared. Professionals will tell you that you are spoiling them, making them dependent, creating a bad habit, etc., etc. I am not a doctor, I have never done a study, taken a poll, or even asked anyone their opinion. I just know that I want my children to feel loved, respected, accepted, and protected.

There will be a day that my children are grown and out of the house...today is not that day.

Your children are not birthed from a textbook, they are not created to fit some mold. They are blessings entrusted to you, specifically you. Parents are not perfect, we all mess up, but there will be a time when your children move on...today is not that day...make the most of it.

Confession Time

I do not know how it happens, I really don't. I don't consider myself ill-humored or crude. I do giggle every now and then at potty humor or when I see that it tickles somebody else, but hey, I was number 4 of 5 kids, with three being brothers.

But it seems to be just part of my children's everyday talk. They don't eschew excrement. They don't balk at boogers. They don't flee from flatulence. They are dirty creatures, my children!

And where does this type of talk come out the most? Yes, you guessed it! The dinner table. I have yet to understand how eating food catapults us into a confessional monologue describing all the places they have put their boogers because, "well, mommy, I just didn't know any better."

I try and steer the conversation to a more appropriate subject, but my efforts are futile and my children trump any direction to a suitable conversation piece.

So, I give in. I just sit there enjoying my dinner and listen as my children "one up" each other on where they have placed boogers and where they used to hide and pick their nose so as not be caught by momma.

Please tell me this normal....

Birth right

It had to be Saturday. Saturday evening, we were on our way home from Jerry's football games. JT made a quick  stop at GNC. The kids and I waited in the van.

Gia: Mommy what is a birth right?

Me: A right you have at birth.

Gia: Like what?

Me: Well you have the freedom of religion, the freedom of speech, that is a birth right for being being born in America.

Gia: What does it mean when they say it in the Bible?

Me: Well it varies, but usually like a position or something would be yours through birth right.

*Now the motives comes out*

Gia: Is it usually the oldest child?

Me: Yes.

Gia: So, I have the birth right in this family?

Me: Ummm....sure. 

I'm not sure what she thinks she is going to inherit through being the oldest child, but she seemed content knowing "the birth right" belonged to her.