A Pair of Bartletts

Girl Talk--A Marriage Monday Article

I am SO glad to be able to be a part of Marriage Monday today!  And thanks to our gracious hostess, E-Mom at Chrysalis, for having all of us over today!  The topic this week is "Girl Talk", as it specifically relates to mother and daughter relationships.  Our questions that have been posed are:

• What are you teaching your daughter about love and marriage?
• What was your mother’s best marriage advice to you?
• What valuable truths have been passed on by your mother-in-law?
• Where can daughters go for counsel when Mom is unavailable?

Since I do not have any children (yet), then that leaves me out of questions one and four.  So, I'm going to address the second and third questions.  And with that said, on with the first question!

• What was your mother’s best marriage advice to you?

I think that my mother definitely led by example with regard to this question.  Even though she has verbally taught me more than I could ever write in this post, my Mom definitely set the example for me, the Titus 2 way.

³Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. ⁴Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

  The thing that stands out the most in her teaching would be "in sickness and in health".  You see, my Dad has been disabled most of my life (since I was about ten years old).  My Mom had two small children and had a husband that required many back surgeries, which usually meant he was in another state, lying in a hospital, while she was back at home trying to work and take care of us.  This went on for many, many years to come and is even true today.  Mom has been self sacrificing for as long as I can remember.  When others would have walked away at the slightest chance of their husband being sick and unable to work, Mom stuck it out.  And, I can happily say that as of this month, they will have been married 41 years!  

Where does this example come into play for me you ask?  Well, I'll give you a little background first.  My husband, Rob, was diagnosed at the age of twelve in 1979 with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA).  As a matter of fact, at the time, the physicians were adamant that Rob would never walk and would never lead a "normal" life.  WRONG!  Thanks to his tenacious grandmother, who refused to accept anything less than "health" for Rob, he did lead a "normal" life.  And he walked.  And he went to school.  And he even went into the Army, at which point he even ran every day!  This was WAY more than the doctors ever said that he would accomplish!  

Well, fast forward years later to our marriage, which happily began on November 17, 2006.  Less than two years into our marriage, we were faced with a hip replacement for Rob, which at the time, was extremely devastating, but good news, WE MADE IT THROUGH!  I could not have done it without the strength that I gained from all that I had learned throughout the years by watching my Mom.  Again, it was one of those times when by the "world's standards", most would have given up and left.  Nope. Not me.  I took my vows extremely seriously since they are a holy covenant...they are not just words on a piece of paper that I recited in front of a bunch of people just for my health.  They are a HOLY COVENANT.  Since the world doesn't seem to know what this word means, I could actually stop here and write and entirely new article about "covenant" and what that really means, but that is for another day (check out Kay Arthur's precept study on "covenant").  Moving on, as I said, we made it through.  Now, as of last Friday, we have been told that Rob's left hip now needs to be replaced in the next few months.  Again, somewhat devastating, but a little easier to swallow this time, since we're "old pros".  And, again, here is where I have drawn SO much strength from everything that I have learned from my Mom.  Furthermore, I hope that I am able to pass that on to our future children.  It's truly a heritage folks.  Marriages are already on the "endangered list", so passing on a rich heritage that is grounded in our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ  to our children (when the time comes), is an incredible accomplishment.  Altough, even ahead of marriage, passing on the biblical teaching and child rearing and pointing these little "lumps of clay" to the Potter, is the MOST important.  I pray for my unborn children all the time and that they would not only have an example in Rob and I of what it means to have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, but that they WOULD come to a saving knowledge and relationship of their own with Jesus.  

Here is the point where I'm praying that anyone reading this (who is going through a tough time in their marriage, regardless if it's health related or otherwise) would seek out what the word of God has to say about marriage and divorce.  God WANTS us to honor our covenant...and that's what I signed up for, did you?

And before I wind this up, I would like to say something about question #3, which was:

• What valuable truths have been passed on by your mother-in-law?

When Rob and I met, he only knew "of" his father, since they had, at the time, be separated for the last 35+ years.  We didn't know if his dad was alive or not, much less if he was married.  (LONG story, but I'm working on future posts, and probably a book about this).  Anyway, last October, Rob came to grips with the prompting that the Lord had been putting on him about trying to find his dad.  His dad's birthday was approaching (we did have that information), so with a little help from the internet and with a very few clues that we had about his dad....I located him on the internet!  Long story short, Rob contacted him (on his birthday!) and soon after, there was an INCREDIBLE reunion of hearts that took place, both physically, mentally and spiritually.  And even better, his dad is a believer!  And better still, his dad had remarried and SHE is a believer!  You have NO IDEA what this meant to Rob and to me.  So, I tell you this to say that again, I've got another Titus 2 influence in my life that I dearly treasure.  My new found Mother (and Father) in Law have been the most amazing people in my life and Rob's life.  We love them SO much.  Unfortunately, they live 14 hours away from us, so we don't get to be with them physically as much as what we would like.  But, praise God for email and free nationwide cell phone calling!  I know that many people have many jokes about their mother in law...but I have NONE.  I love mine dearly and thank the Lord for her each day.  She is so similar to my mom in many ways, but especially in that she has dealt with many of the same health issues with Dad as what my Mom has been through in her marriage.  Again, I could write for days here (I'll let you know when I get that book written!).  But, suffice it to say that if you don't have a good relationship with your mother in law, I would highly encourage you to mend that relationship.  This life is way too short!  I can't make up the lost time that we've missed with Rob's parents, but I can make the most of the time going forward...and what a joy it has been so far!

WHEW....did you get all of that?  Sorry for the long post, but this was a "loaded" topic for me!  If you are reading this, I want you to know that I am SO glad that you decided to check out Marriage Monday!  We would love to have you join us for each of these special times.  Please check out the information at E-Mom's blog at Chrysalis if you would like more information about Marriage Monday or to see a list of those who participate.  

Blessings to you!

ps....Please stop by my blog tomorrow for another installment of "Bee My Guest"!  There will be a great (and VERY informative) post by a guest author AND a really great giveaway too!  You don't want to miss out!  Hope to see you tomorrow!

Bee Here for Your Key to Financial PEACE

Remember when I started this special series, Bee My Guest?  I really thought that the Lord had provided enough guest authors for me to do the series for just the month of August.  Well, guess what?  I just didn't have a peace that it was going to end at the close of August.  The very same week that I was struggling with this and asking the Lord..."so who will it be now?  I'm out of options right now!"--I got an email from a friend of mine and Rob's.  His name is  James Woosley and he is a Career and Personal Finance Coach who also teaches Financial Peace University at our church on a regular basis.   James had been reading the articles for Bee My Guest and the Lord prompted him to contact me about a very special topic that is of special interest to women, especially in these dire economic times.  Friends, I have read the article....and you DON'T want to miss this!   James has SO much knowledge and information about financial planning that I know it could be hard to pick one area to talk about.  But the area that the Lord laid on his heart is very special to him, and you'll see why.  Ladies, if you have EVER had the desire to stay home with your children (or be a housewife who may not even have children) and have not been able to figure out how to make it happen, I PROMISE you that you don't want to miss this!  And, as always, there will be another great GIVEAWAY!  James will be giving away a Dave Ramsey product to our randomly drawn recipient!  And remember, to be eligible for the giveaway, you must leave an encouraging comment for our guest author...and that's it!  You'll be entered for a chance to receive this special gift from James!

I am REALLY pumped about his message....and the reason why is because it DIRECTLY applies to me and to my husband.  So I know that if it's blessed us just by the sneak preview of the article....I know that it's going to bless you or someone that you know.  

So mark your calendar for Tuesday, September 1st!  You don't want to miss this!  I'm even thinking that because of the state of the economy, and because I don't want a SINGLE person to miss out on this article (or on this giveaway), I am going to open the comments for Tuesday, September 1st and for Wednesday, September 2nd.  That means that we will not announce our winner until Thursday, September 3rd.  James will be seeing the comments, so please feel free to post questions too.  I will count questions in the drawing, as well as the general comments.  So PLEASE make your way over here on Tuesday and see what the Lord has in store for us in the area of finances, Stay At Home Mom's (SAHM) and Financial PEACE!

Abundant Blessings to YOU!

Marriage Monday...around the corner!

Want this button?

This is just a little reminder...you don't want to miss out on Marriage Monday over at my dear friend, E-Mom's blog.  We would also love for you to contribute, or even just be a reader.  In whatever way you choose, we would love for you to participate!  Here are all of the details...hope to see you there!

Call for Submissions
Dear Sister,

 

It's almost time to gather as a community of married Christian women once again. You're invited to join us for Marriage Monday on August 31, 2009.

Our Topic is "Girl Talk"

I'm delighted to announce that I will be your hostess at Chrysalis this coming Monday. Our topic is
"Girl Talk: Mothers & Daughters Talk About Love." To avoid vacation conflicts, please note that we’re meeting the week before Labor Day.

Power up your laptop and think about about mother-daughter relationships. If don't know where to begin, perhaps you can expand on one or more of the following ideas in your entry:

• What are you teaching your daughter about love and marriage?
• What was your mother’s best marriage advice to you?
• What valuable truths have been passed on by your mother-in-law?
• Where can daughters go for counsel when Mom is unavailable?

 

BTW, if you have all boys, don't feel left out. I'll have some instructions for you on Monday.

 

If you've never linked an entry before, don't worry. More instructions about the Marriage Monday meme will be posted on Monday.

 

Invite Your Sweet Bloggy Buddies

Feel free to copy any part of this announcement and post it on your blog. As always, the more participants we have, the better!

Have a blessed weekend,

 

e-Mom @ Chrysalis

http://chrysaliscom.blogspot.com

"Walking" Down Memory Lane

Well, today marked the second time that my husband and I have heard these words..."hip replacement".  As I went with Rob to the orthopaedic doctor today, expecting that his arthritis had simply flared up in his ankle, little did we know that we were going to be told for the second time that Rob's other hip would now need to be replaced.  You see, the arthritis in the ankle was being aggravated by his left hip.  His body has been overcompensating for the degeneration in the hip joint, therefore causing his rheumatoid arthritis to be an issue for him.  If you have followed this blog for any length of time, you'll remember that Rob had to have his right hip replaced last year in May of '08.  And WOW, what a journey that was!  Now, it's a year later, we're a lot wiser as to the "ropes" of this procedure, and for all of you physical therapists out there...we can recite "post op hip precautions" backward and forward.  I'm not saying that we are both excited about this, but, at least this time, we know what to expect and when to expect it.  Thank you so much to all who have been praying for us today and thank you to those who will pray for us after today.  We will covet your prayers over the next few months.  So, as of today, our good doctor has injected Rob's left hip in hopes that this will give him some relief for a little while.  Rob is finishing a degree at Liberty University, and is slated to graduate in May 2010.  Hopefully, the injection(s) will get him though until graduation...so if you are agreeing with us in prayer, this is a huge request for us.  

If you would like to read about our journey from May of 2008, just click on the archives beginning in May 2008 for this blog.  The posts begin there and spill into the next few months after that.  On the lighter side, I've reminded Rob of all that he has to look forward to with pool therapy at the rehab pool....accompanied by all of those cute little old ladies and their inner tubes!

May I Have the Envelope Please?

Thank you SO much to everyone who participated in Bee My Guest yesterday!  I hope that all of you enjoyed it as much as I did.  I love to hear sweet stories of how good our God is.  And He is good ALL the time!  Thank you to my sweet friend for sharing the story of the awesome journey that they have been on!  And....as of today(see the comments on the post), the journey is still continuing!  Please keep this precious family in your prayers, even today.  

And....APRIL!  You were chosen in the random drawing!  Woo HOO!  Praise and worship music is headed your way!   April will be getting a copy of my church's newest CD entitled, "God Hears". I hope that you will consider getting a copy of your own!  You can pick up a copy for you and your family by clicking here.  

Now....for a little more unfinished business.  I had originally planned that this series would run in the month of August, and then would probably do it quarterly after that.  Well, guess what?  The Lord opened up a door for another friend of mine and Rob's to do a guest post next week!  So, we're extending Bee My Guest into September!  I'm not going to put my own time line on it since the Lord may decide to continue this even beyond next week!  

You will NOT want to miss out next week!  Do you like to save money?  Have you thought about trying to put a little more back each month?  Are you working outside of the home (like me!) and are ready to stay at home NOW?  Well, if you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then you NEED to be here next week!  So, stay tuned this week....I'll be giving you more information as the week goes by!  

Hope everyone had a great Wednesday!

The Christmas Gift

Well dear readers, it's here AGAIN!  The time flies when we have such great guest authoring going on!  I'm so glad that you decided to come by today because you are just in time!  It's time again for Bee My Guest and another great post from a sweet friend.  And before I go any further, PLEASE don't forget to leave an encouraging comment for my sweet friend and you'll be entered into a random drawing!  This week, I'll be giving away another copy of my church's newest album, "God Hears".  I felt that the album title was so appropriate for the topic this week, since God does hear us and He answers us.  When we delight in HIM, HE gives us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4).  

I'm very glad to have a dear friend here today that's going to be sharing her story of how adoption has touched she and her husband's lives in a mighty way.  For the sake of anonymity, I am not providing too many details about names and places,  but you know what?  God still has a story to share through this sweet family and the names are not important.  What's important here is how "Heaven Came Down" to this sweet family...just like the old hymn says.  So, please sit down and "sit a spell", as Granny Clampett would have said!  We're glad you made it!  And, don't forget to come back tomorrow to see who the blessed recipient will be in our giveaway.  Don't be alarmed if that post is not up until tomorrow evening.  I have a very busy day at work tomorrow, so if I'm not able to get the drawing done before I leave for the office, then I will be taking care of it as soon as I come home.  So stick around!

THE CHRISTMAS GIFT

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. Ephesians 1:4-6 (NIV)

 

Child adoption…..what image or thought comes to mind when you hear or see this word? Hopefully, you have a wonderful feeling when you hear this word. For us, my husband and I, the first image or thought is unselfish love. Sadly, most people do not view adoption in this light. They see and hear the extreme, rare horror stories on the news or even a sitcom and feel it must be how all adoptions are. They feel that they cannot love someone that is not biologically their child. Do you love your spouse? Do you love your friends? How about your friend’s kids? If you do, then you can love a child that is not biologically yours. There is no difference. Our family went from a family of two to a family of three a little over three years ago due to the blessing of domestic adoption. Here is our story:

 

We were not “matched” with biological parents before our daughter was born as her biological mother had not picked out a family for her daughter before she was born. She knew that she could not raise this little girl, but really and truly did not know what to do. Her family would not support her in raising this baby. The biological dad was no longer in her life. Thankfully, she spoke her concerns while she was in labor and she was able to meet with a social worker. The social worker owned the agency that we were using to adopt through. Our daughter’s biological mother then looked at profiles and wanted to meet us. We met Kali’s biological mother on Christmas Eve and then brought our daughter home with us that evening. We had a wonderful day shopping on Christmas Eve buying all kinds of baby’s things before we met our daughter. Kali was 7 days old. She was the best Christmas present we ever received.

 

We continue to see Kali’s biological mother twice a year, send her pictures and email frequently. She will always be very special to us. She believes, as we do, that God used her to bless all of us with the birth of Kali. Whereas she carried her for 9 months, we are her parents. There will always be a special bond between Kali and her. We wouldn’t want that any other way. Kali has beautiful pictures of her and her biological mother in her room. We also have an adorable picture of the both of them in our living room from our last visit. We want adoption to be something we can always talk about with Kali. An open adoption is like any other relationship, it grows with time. Ours grows stronger each day. Was it hard in the beginning? Yes, there were times that it was indeed hard, more so because it was all new. If you have a chance at an open adoption, I beg you to give it a try and not give up when it is hard. Your child will know that you worked at this relationship and your relationship with your child will be stronger because of it. We pray often for Kali’s biological mother, and the biological parents we have yet to meet since we are waiting to adopt again. Prayer is very powerful. We would not be blessed with this little girl without it.

 

Feel free to follow our next adoption on our blog and ask questions about adoption www.bigsisterkali.blogspot.com

 

If you live in the state of Alabama, please check out APAC for information about many kinds of adoptions. They can help contact you with adoption lawyers, agencies, and tell you about foster adoption. They have counseling services available, books to borrow, advice and all for free. Here are some more Alabama adoption links.

http://www.abchome.org/

http://www.heartgalleryalabama.com/

http://adoptionrocks.net/

Thank you for reading!

 

But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day! Habakkuk 2:3 (NLT)

Bee My Guest....Again!

I am SO excited that it is already time again for Bee My Guest!   I have a VERY special guest that will be posting tomorrow (Tuesday) on the subject of open adoption.  You will not want to miss this sweet story my friends.  I want to tell you that I was very privileged to see this sweet story unfold before my eyes.  I am so thankful for this dear friend and her husband who have agreed to share their story, as I have been for the other special ladies who have been posting the last few weeks.  Adoption has a very special place in our church as we have MANY families who have participated in this beautiful process.  We have had all sorts of adoptions to take place from international to domestic.  And my....what a beautiful bunch of little ones that have come into our fellowship!  They are all precious in the Lord's sight....and in that of their sweet parents and their fellow church members as well.  Even if adoption is not something that you have personally participated in or will ever participate in, you will not want to miss out on this blessing of a story!

So make sure and grab a cup of coffee and join us on Tuesday for Bee My Guest!  And, as always, there will be another GREAT GIVEAWAY!   Make sure and leave an encouraging comment for my sweet friend and you'll be entered into a random drawing!  The giveaway this week will be another copy of our church's latest praise and worship album, God Hears, with Jason Breland & The North Mobile Worship Choir.  

I hope to see you on Tuesday!  And I pray that you'll have an incredibly blessed week!

Bonjour!

Look what I just got in the mail and guess what I'm going to be avidly reading?  And avidly experimenting with?  

I'm so excited!  I'm off to read now!  It's like Christmas!  I may not do like "Julie" in the movie and make it through all of her recipes....but I sure am going to try and have as much fun as the lovely Mrs. Child did trying!

BON APPETIT!

French food anyone?

Well, let me just give a big shout out to Melissa D'Arabian, the newest Food Network Star!  I tried one of her recipes night before last and can I tell you something?  It was P-E-R-F-E-C-T!  I have never made ANY pastry dish, much less a French dish,  where it turned out like the picture off of the page of a magazine.  I can usually make them turn out pretty well, but there's always one or two little things that I usually wish may have turned out a little crisper, flakier, etc.  But folks....follow this recipe and you WILL NOT FAIL!  Although, my grocer was out of Gruyere cheese, but I substituted a really good fresh baby Swiss and it was still P-E-R-F-E-C-T!  (Don't just substitute any old cheese...you would need one that is of the same relative consistency and texture of the Gruyere in the recipe, otherwise, you would have either too much or too little moisture in the dish.  So, if you don't know a lot about cheese and you can't find Gruyere....I promise, you won't go wrong with a good baby Swiss (not the sliced kind, but the fresh kind that you would grate yourself--about $6.00 for a pretty decent sized chunk).  

Also...the recipe does give the instructions for making your own pastry.  However, if you are extremely busy, like me, refrigerated pastry crust is just fine...actually, in some cases, it's even better!  I used Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust (2 per box--not the crust in the pan but the kind that you would put in your own dish!).  

So, on with the recipe.  I have pasted it for you below, compliments of Food Network and Melissa D'Arabian.  I HOPE that you will try this!  It was absolutely DIVINE!  And if it's any testimony from the husband point of view, Rob LOVED this.  The reason that this thrilled me so much is that he is usually not a "savory pastry" fan.  But he COULD NOT stop talking about this.  He was totally shocked!  After all of his praises the other night, this recipe is DEFINITELY going to the FRONT of my recipe box!  

PLEASE try this and PLEASE let me know what you think!  One final little "cooks tip"....I would HIGHLY recommend that you slice the potatoes using a mandolin  or a food processor slicing blade (or like me,  a Pampered Chef Zyliss slicer, set to thin--not paper thin, maybe about 1/8" thick).  If you don't have evenly sliced potatoes and if they are too thick, this dish is not going to cook evenly and your layers won't be as pretty when you cut it.  But, if you don't have a slicer, just make sure and get the slices as uniform as possible.  You're going to be "dealing these out" in the dish almost like you would deal a deck of cards...they should move that fluidly in your hand.  So, if they don't then you might have them sliced too thick.  

Okay...are you ready?  I have included their text from the website, but the pictures below are mine, each step of the way.  I can't wait to hear from you!

Ingredients

• 4 strips bacon
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme (I was out of fresh, so I used about 1/4 tsp of dried thyme)
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 Pie Crusts, recipe follows (I used Pillsbury refrigerated pre-made crusts!)
• 3 medium baking potatoes, peeled
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese
• 1 egg yolk, whisked with a splash of water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until just crispy. Drain on paper towel lined plate and set aside. Crumble the bacon when cool to the touch.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the thyme and cream over low heat to a bare simmer. Turn off the heat and let steep for about 5 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs.

Remove the pie pan from the refrigerator. (I "dock" the bottom of the pie crust with a fork so that it will not bubble up....this will let the steam come through and your crust will cook perfectly--you can see the fork's marks below)  Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and then finely slice the potatoes. Working in circles, arrange the potato slices in the pie crust, stopping to season each layer with salt, pepper, and about 1/4 of the crumbled bacon.

Continue layering until the pie pan is nearly full. 

Top with an even layer of the cheese and gently pour cream around and over the entire pie, allowing it to seep down between the potato slices. (You may not use all the cream.) (writers note: I used all of the cream and it was perfect) Roll out the remaining disk of refrigerated dough. Cover the pie with the dough and crimp the edges closed. Brush the top and edges of the crust with egg wash.

 Make a few slits in the center of the top crust, for the steam to escape, and put the pie pan on a baking sheet. Bake the torte until the crust is browned and crispy and the potatoes are cooked through, about 50 to 60 minutes. (My over is calibrated pretty well and 50 minutes was perfect).  

If the crust edges get too brown, cover them with some strips of aluminum foil. Remove the pie from the oven and let rest at least 15 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.

(~~SEE THE PRETTY LAYERS!~~)

Pie Crust:

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), cubed and chilled
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 to 10 tablespoons ice water

Put the butter, flour, and salt in the food processor, and pulse lightly just until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing briefly after each spoonful of water. Keep adding water until the dough just begins to gather into larger clumps. Transfer equal amounts of the dough into 2 resealable plastic bags and pat each into a disk. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Remove 1 of the disks from the bag to a flour coated surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 10-inch round. Gently fit the rolled dough into a 9-inch pie pan, and refrigerate while you prepare the torte ingredients.

Yield: 2 (9-inch) pie crusts

Some Blog Love Please......

Well....I've been a busy bee tonight!  But even though I've been busy, I've had SO much fun in the process!  I have been helping my friend, Wendy, do a little bloggy plastic surgery.  She has been wanting to pick back up on blogging and needed some help getting refreshed.  So, please stop by her "house" and give a little blog love!  Her newest post is REALLY great!  It's called "What are you wearing"...and you can see it here on her blog at The Better Part.  It precious!

And stay tuned....I've got an AWESOME recipe that I want to share with you....my sweet hubby sang some sweet praises to his bride for this one!  Come back tomorrow and I'll share it with you...and some step by step pictures!

Ding Ding Ding---We Have a Winner!

Hey there everyone!  I'm SO SORRY that I'm SO LATE posting the announcement of the recipient of the giveaway from yesterday's post.  But, better late than never!  Well, do you want to know who it is?  Well, I used a random-- number generator and our very blessed recipient is...LIZ....from Be Encouraged! Congratulations Liz!   Liz has got some great music coming her way!  And, if you would like to own a copy of the music that Liz will be receiving, you can check out 33Miles CD's on their website by clicking here.  AND, you can click here to check out our church's CD's "God Hears" and "Believe".  Liz will be getting a copy of "One Life", from 33Miles and a copy of "Believe, with Jason Breland and the North Mobile Worship Choir"!  YAY LIZ!

And, a HUGE HUGE thank you to everyone else who left some very encouraging and very sweet comments for my sweet guest author, Joy.  Joy, thank you SO MUCH for blessing us with an encouraging and very inspiring word (for the girls and the guys!).  You are a special lady and as one of our readers said before, it gives all of us insight on how we can specifically pray for you as Chris travels.  And Joy....WE MISS YOU HERE AT HOME!  But, we all know the calling that has been placed on you and on Chris and I'm so happy to see what God is doing for both of you for being faithful to His calling!

Well, are you ready for more?  I hope that you are.....because next week, we have another special lady who will be sharing a word with us on Christian adoption.  I will tell you, due to an open relationship with her child's birthmom, we are going to let her post with a little bit of some anonymity.  God knows the details and that's all that matters!  I hope that you will come back and join us for a special time with this sweet friend as she shares her heart and the experiences of her (and her husband's)  journey down the road of adoption.  And guess what?  I know that when this special series started, I guess I had set a time limit of the month of August.  Well, I believe that the Lord still has more that He wants to share with everyone because a door opened up for another friend to do a very special post for us.  So that means that we will spill over into the month of September!  And trust me, YOU CANNOT AFFORD to miss his post!  Yes, I said "his" post.  I will give you a formal introduction later, but for now, I will tell you that he and his wife are friends of ours and I PROMISE that you will be blessed by the word that he has for you!

I pray that the Lord will continue to richly bless all of you!  Thank you again for joining in this special series!

Married to a Musician on the Road

I am SO thrilled to have you here today for Bee My Guest!  We have a super sweet special guest with us today, Joy Lockwood.  Joy is an incredibly gifted vocalist, as is her sweet husband, Chris.  It just so happens that Joy has become the stay at home mom to Ella and help meet to Chris as he travels with 33Miles.  But--that's what she's going to tell you about now!  Grab some coffee, prop your feet up and be ready to be blessed, blessed, blessed!  DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE A COMMENT FOR JOY!  YOU WILL BE ENTERED INTO A RANDOM DRAWING TO WIN "ONE LIFE" BY 33MILES AND "BELIEVE", BY JASON BRELAND AND THE NORTH MOBILE WORSHIP CHOIR!  THE WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED TOMORROW!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MARRIED TO A MUSICIAN ON THE ROAD

In December of 2005, Chris and I drove up to Nashville to meet with Jason Barton and the beginning of 33 Miles was ignited.  I use the word "ignited" because after that meeting, things started to move pretty fast.  We had no intentions of Chris being a Christian music artist.  Our options were more about serving on staff at a church or graduate school.  Although music has always been Chris's passion and career path, I just don't think either one of us expected him to be called to the world of the Christian music industry.  I use the word called because for us, it had to be a "calling".  Chris traveled on the road once before with another Christian music group, Truth, and so we knew what it meant for him to be "on the road".  We spent several months praying about whether or not this would be the path God had for us.  It was definitely a "calling" not just for Chris, but for the both of us.  

As Chris's "helpmate", my part of the call is more about the home-front, more about being supportive...more about trusting God.  If I'm not fully trusting God for His provision in the moments that I begin to think that my life is lacking something simply because my husband isn't at home, then I'm missing out on the blessings that come with leaning on the Father.  We are designed to help and support each other, yet there is only one that will never fail to meet our needs and to support us.  We have to look to God first before we can fulfill our roles as husband and wife.

Too often, I find that we depend on our husbands or other people to meet our needs and fulfill our expectations.  That only leads to disappointment and bitterness.  We have to rise to the occasion of seeking God first (then all these things will be added, Matthew 6:33).  For me, sometimes, it's a need of feeling like I'm not alone in this.  Other times it's an emotional need.  Sometimes it's the need for peace on a restless night as I'm praying that Chris is safe as they are driving through the night; or peace in knowing that even though there's a raging storm outside, that God is our ultimate protector.  Often it's the need for strength to get through the day with a toddler and never getting the relief from a husband coming home that evening to at least entertain the kid for five minutes!  But in those moments I continually discover that God is my provider - He is my strength!

One thing that is particularly important to me is that the guys in 33 Miles are all committed to their families and most importantly to God.  They are the real deal.  They all have a vibrant relationship with the Lord, and they all hold each other accountable.  That means a lot to me because I appreciate the fact that Chris is on the road with committed Christians.  It's important that they have boundaries and that they are trustworthy.  I don't know if I could handle the thought of Chris being on the road without the peace of knowing that, amidst a tempting world, he is completely and totally committed first to God and thus, to us.  His devotion to the Lord is my ticket in knowing that I can trust him with our marriage.  Praise God for a godly husband!!!

The challenges of being the wife of a guy that is on the road have been magnified for me lately because we moved to Nashville leaving family and friends that have been a huge support and diversion.  The weekends and the evenings are always the loneliest.  Everyone else is doing things with their families so it's easy to feel somewhat estranged from the rest of the world because our lifestyle is different.  I probably struggle even more because this lifestyle can be an emotional roller coaster.  Almost every week is different.  There's not really a consistent schedule of when Chris is home and on the road, so when Chris is home, it's the highest point of "Yay!  Daddy is home!", and then when he is gone, it's a downer.  I'm often envious of the consistency of other families of knowing that Daddy is home every night and home on the weekends (the way it always was in my home growing up).  Sometimes there is the perk of Chris being home for an entire week...only to have him gone all the next week.  I'm not a "fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants" personality, so I long for a consistent schedule.  However, God reminds me that happiness and order are not found in a schedule or in knowing what to expect...  happiness and order are found in Him, even when things feel completely OUT of order and unsettled.  

It all comes back to trusting in God and relying on Him for our joy and our peace.  Throughout the past few years, friends have said in a well-meaning manner, "I wouldn't want to do it"...or "I wouldn't let him do it" referring to their husbands being gone all of the time, but the difference is that this is God's will for us.  I have found that when God calls you to something He provides in every way that is needed...He also blesses us beyond our needs.  Sure, I wish Chris came home every evening and that we could have dinner as a family every night.   I have also found that whatever pleasures you think you're missing out on because you have been deprived of something you want, that you can trust that God is able to make it up to you.  He is able to be your help, your company, and your strength.  It doesn't matter what kind of lifestyle you have or what your situation is - there are ALWAYS pro's and con's.  Always.  There are always things that you wish could be different.  It's our fleshly nature to think the grass is greener on the other side.  I challenge you to let your delight be in the Lord regardless of your circumstance.  Whether your husband is home every night (or you wish he wasn't sometimes, lol!), or whether your husband travels a lot, or whether you are a single parent with nobody coming home to help at all - may we all be able to say with Paul, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:11-13)."

Blessings in Christ,

Joy Lockwood

You can keep up with Joy and Chris and their family adventures at chrockwood.blogspot.com. 

To learn more about 33 Miles and to preview their music, please visit 33milesonline.com.

Today's Bee My Guest Article Submitted, Courtesy of Joy Lockwood.

Don't forget tomorrow!

Are you ready for a BIG BLESSING and a BIG GIVEAWAY tomorrow?  Join us right here tomorrow for "Bee My Guest!   You will be blessed!

C h r y s a l i s ---A Marriage Monday Reminder

You may have noticed Mary Poppins doing a little fall housecleaning on this blog. I've hired Miss Poppins to keep our list of Marriage Monday community members fresh and current. In order to remain on the Marriage Monday blogroll, she's requested that you keep our yellow MM button posted in your sidebar. Mary mentioned that she'll be checking sidebars in the next two weeks. She'll assume that you no longer want your name included on the blogroll if she doesn't spot that yellow button somewhere on your sidebar.

via chrysaliscom.blogspot.com

Want this button?

This is just a reminder that you are personally invited to Marriage Monday on August 31st. You do not have to submit an article (although we would love to hear from as many as possible), but please make it around to the different participating blogs. There are some fabulous insights from many different married Christian women from all stages and ages in their marriages. We are so thankful to E-Mom to be our lovely Hostess with the Mostest!

We hope to see you there!

"Bee" With Me In Week 3! (and a 33Miles giveaway!)

Week Three! It's here!  Bee My Guest has another great post coming to your inbox! Up until now, it's YOU--all of you readers that have made this possible!

My sweet friend, Joy Lockwood, will be joining us this week....and gracious, are you IN FOR A TREAT!  Joy will be sharing her heart this week about her special position in her home of wife and mother. But, she's not just any wife and mom. You see, Joy and her husband both have a VERY unique calling from the Lord on their lives.  Since Chris is a traveling musician with the newest Christian band on the scene, 33Miles, Joy has the special task of being at home somewhat  "solo" sometimes while Chris is on the road.  To some, they may say "that's not fair"!  But to Joy....she approaches the task with a God given calling and a very sweet attitude that could only come from her walk with the Lord.  I can't wait for you to read her post and hear her very special perspective!  We all know how much work marriage is on a daily basis.  And, even being a Christian, it's still full of it's daily challenges and struggles.  Struggles and challenges aside, Chris and Joy approach their circumstances with the grace that only their Lord can provide to them.  Folks, this couple is SOLD OUT TO CHRIST!  Did you hear me?  I mean--SOLD OUT! Chris is sold out to ministry for the Lord and Joy is too as the sweet help meet of her precious mate. They are both called and they are both being obedient to the Lord's calling.  

I hope that you will come back on Tuesday to hear from Joy.  I can promise you that you will be blessed.  And, THERE WILL BE A GIVEAWAY TOO!  What Bee My Guest post would be complete without a giveaway?  So, by leaving an encouraging comment for Joy on Tuesday, you will be entered into a random drawing to receive 2 great CD's!  NOT 1 BUT 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The random person chosen will receive a copy of 33Miles CD, "One Life" and also a copy of "Believe", with Jason Breland and the North Mobile Worship Choir!  You don't want to miss this! 

Hummus is YUMMUS!

After going to see the new blockbuster, Julie & Julia  today, I was inspired to come home and create something!  I know that the movie revolved around French food, which is YUMMY, but today, I had something different in mind...

Rob and I LOVE Mediterranean/Arabic food, especially at our local favorite restaurant, The Jerusalem Cafe.  We especially love hummus.  We have even become somewhat "hummus connoisseurs" in our own rite.  So, here is the recipe for hummus that I use and that I hope you will try.   It's adapted from the recipe in "How to Cook Everything".  I just use a little more olive oil than what it calls for and I adjust the seasonings a little differently.  I have included step by step instructions and pictures....it's SO easy!  You can eat hummus as an appetizer, but we actually like it for a meal.  You can make sandwiches on the flatbreads instead of cutting them in the triangles if you like.  If you're eating it for a meal...it is very filling.  I hope that you will try it...and by all means, please let me know if you do and let me know how you like it!  Enjoy!  (And it's good for you!)

THE WIFE'S HUMMUS

• (2) 16 oz cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
• juice of 2 fresh lemons
• 1/2 cup Tahini (sesame puree)
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (high quality)
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1/2 Tbsp Hungarian paprika
• pinch of sea salt
• parsley (garnish)
• extra virgin olive oil (garnish)
• Hungarian paprika (garnish)
• gyro bread (true flatbread--not pita bread, which is really thin)

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or a blender and blend to desired consistency.

To cook flatbreads:

Place flatbreads on a baking sheet and put in the center rack of the oven.  Put oven on broil but watch closely....brown them just a little on the bottom sides and only let the top sides just heat up and stay "white" and soft...just flip them and get them hot on both sides.  Cut in triangles using a pizza cutter.

      

...and get ready to make a pretty plate.  Dust with parsley, a tiny bit of paprika, another drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and garnish with kalamata olives (I only had jumbo queen olives in the fridge tonight....any will do)

...and add your hot gyro/flatbread slices!  ENJOY!

Have you been "(in)courage"-ed yet?

I just wanted to pass this along if you haven't seen it yet.  There is a new blog created by some very special women at Dayspring (the Christian subsidiary of Hallmark).  If you haven't been there yet, I would "encourage" you to go and visit "(in)courage"!  You can check it out here:

I have really enjoyed reading some of the postings there this afternoon.  I hope that you will also be blessed by some of their postings!  Let me know if you visit! 

Friday Funnies--Dangerous Dachshund

With Rob and I having our own dachshund, we can appreciate how funny they are....but this one takes the cake!  We saw this on America's Funniest Home Videos on Wednesday night and just had to see if we could find it on YouTube.  If you have a doxie....you'll love this.  Even if you aren't graced with a daring little doxie in your home...I hope you'll like this too!

 

And a little more doxie video viewing pleasure...this is the trailer from one of my favorite Disney movies!  The Ugly Dachshund!  I miss those good ol' Disney movies from back then!

Week 2 Winner!!!! (Bee My Guest)

As we say here in the Deep South, "Hey Y'All"!  I am SO appreciative of ALL of you who stopped by "Bee My Guest" this week and left an encouraging comment for Heather.  I would also like to thank my sweet friend, Heather, for taking time out of her schedule to write a post for this series.  Heather is a wonderful girlfriend, a wonderful mother and a wonderful wife.  I am SO thankful that God is using her life in such incredible ways in ministering to others!

So, without further delay, I am pleased to announce that Shannon Locklear is our week two winner for this inaugural series of "Bee My Guest" posts!   Congratulations Shannon!!  A copy of the CD "God Hears", as well as a copy of the CD "Wonder" will be going out to Shannon.  If you would like to purchase a copy of "God Hears", please click on the picture of the album cover above.  Also, if you would like to purchase a copy of Heather's CD, "Wonder", please email me at [email protected] and I will relay the requests to Heather.  

Well, there is still MORE to come with Bee My Guest!  Please make sure and come back next Tuesday for sure!  Another special guest and friend will be joining us to share her heart.  Mark your calendars and come back to read a guest post from Joy Lockwood.  Joy is a homemaker, a mommy and wife to full time musician, Chris Lockwood of the fabulous new Chrisitan band, 33Miles.  Next week, we will be giving away a copy of 33Miles new CD, as well as a copy of another of our church's CD's called "Believe"!

So...there is still a lot more to come!  I hope that you will continue to visit and I especially hope to see you next Tuesday for Bee My Guest!

Bee My Guest----One more day! (Giveaway Extended!!!!)

Dear faithful readers, 

For some reason, the graphics on my blog threw off the blog design at some point. So, this caused some people not to be able to appropriately view the article that Heather posted. I'm not sure when it started happening, but I know that some did get the opportunity to see the blog. For those that did not, I'm leaving the giveaway open for another day so that everyone will have the chance to see it. If for any reason you cannot view the blog in three columns, please email me at [email protected] and let me know. I will send you a copy of the article and give you a chance to email me a comment. I believe that the culprit is some of the graphic buttons, so there are some that I have had to remove, just so that the blog will "hopefully" appear correctly today. I will check on the status of everything tonight. I hope that this post works, since I'm doing this from my Blackberry! Hope you are having a good day!

The Blessing of the Blow

Thank you so much for coming today!  I am so happy to have you here today, and I'm sure that Heather is too.  Speaking of Heather, I would like to introduce you to Heather (Fath) Messick .  Heather and I have known each other for many years (I won't count them....it makes me feel old!) since meeting in choir at Mobile College, which is now University of Mobile.  As long as I've known her, Heather's heart has been one for praising the Lord Jesus Christ.  Little did we know all those years ago as college students that one day, Heather's heart for true praise would be put to the test.  Well, dear readers, as you are about to see, Heather has given God all the glory....but I'll let her tell you the story.  So, with that, please grab your coffee (and probably some kleenex) and sit down and join us for Heather's guest post today at Bee My Guest.  And don't forget to leave an encouraging comment for Heather!  All of those commenting will be entered into a random drawing to receive a copy of Heather's CD, "Wonder" and ALSO a copy of our church's newest CD, "God Hears"!  I will announce the winner tomorrow, so make sure and come back to check!  Get ready to be blessed!

The Blessing of the Blow

Have you ever felt that you were dealt a serious blow in life?  Something you didn't think you could recover from?  That is exactly what I was facing on Monday, September 17^th, 2007.  At the eleventh week of my pregnancy, I had visited my OBGYN for the first ultrasound of my third baby.  I was so excited to see the first pictures of this new little creation that God had given Mark and me!  After my ultrasound, my doctor informed me that something was wrong with my baby.  She listed off several genetic disorders that my baby could have, Down syndrome being among them.  Never in a million years did I expect to hear this sort of news.  This was a devastating blow and I didn’t know how I would deal with it. 

Over the course of my pregnancy, I had many ultrasounds by an obstetric specialist.  More and more I heard the words Down syndrome.  And, if that wasn’t enough, Mark and I were told that our baby girl had several major heart defects that would require open-heart surgery shortly after she was born.  I had such difficulty processing all of the information that was being thrown at me.  I could only cling to one thing during such a difficult time in my life.  I clung to the Savior of my heart, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

A passage that came to have new meaning for me was Psalm 139:13-17.  It says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.  How precious are your thoughts toward me, O God!  How vast is the sum of them!”  While I was being told by so many doctors that my baby was not forming “correctly,” I had to believe that God had a purpose for her.  I trusted in my heart that God knew her long before I did and that He made no mistake when He formed her in my womb. 

Mark and I felt that God led us to a wonderful name for our little girl.  We gave her the name Victoria Jayne which means “victorious victory.”  We prayed “victory” for Victoria Jayne during my entire pregnancy.

When Victoria Jayne was born on March 10, 2008, she was, indeed, born with Down syndrome and several major heart defects.  Though it was so emotionally difficult to accept that our little girl was “different,” we still loved her and wanted to be the best parents we could be to her. 

It is hard to explain the grieving process you go through when you have a child with special needs.  You realize dreams that you had for your child may not come to pass.  You realize that many things in your life have suddenly changed and there is no going back to what use to be “normal.”  You have a new “norm” to adjust to and it just takes time to get there mentally and emotionally. 

At 7 weeks of age, Victoria required emergency surgery at University of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham, AL.  We were told by the heart surgeon that Victoria's heart repair was very difficult, however, God blessed and she came through the delicate procedure successfully.

 

Through the course of Victoria’s little life, Mark and I have realized one important thing.  We “get” to experience life in a way that most people don’t.  We will be blessed to live our life with a little girl who will, most likely, love unconditionally in a way that we struggle to.  We will be able to see life through a little different slant than most.  You see, what we originally thought to be a serious blow in our lives has turned out to be a huge blessing.  When we questioned God’s hand and plan, He knew that what He was giving us was a true treasure.  We never imagined that one day we would be the parents of a special-needs child, but we are thankful that God gave us our own little piece of Heaven by sending us an angel by the name of Victoria Jayne. 

Jeremiah 29:11 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

 

PS - Shortly after Victoria was born, I penned a song about her that, I believe, was God-inspired.  The song is called “She Is God’s Child.”  A great friend, Dave Simpson, compiled some photos into a moving video for me that I use when I have speaking engagements.  This video has already touched many hearts and I pray it warms yours a little today as you watch it!  To begin the video, please click on "She Is God's Child".    

SHE IS GOD'S CHILD

© 2008 Heather Messick

VERSE 1

Her little face is not the same

As yours and mine they say

But God took the time to fashion her

In such a special way

She may not learn just like I do

Or play the way I play

But she was made especially

For me to know one day

CHANNEL

That God is good

And He is kind

She’s always there

Ever on His mind

 

CHORUS

She is God's child

Crafted and made by Him

She is God's child

Her life magnifies Him

She is God's child

Let our praise begin

And thank Him

For she is God's child

VERSE 2

Her life came no surprise to Him

He knew that she'd be here

This span of time was made for her

So there should be no fear

Whatever struggles come her way

The Lord will see her through

He'll hold her hand and guide her steps

He’s faithful and He’s true

CHANNEL

'Cause He is good

And He is kind

She’s always there

Ever on His mind

CHORUS

 

BRIDGE

Who’s to say her little life

Wasn’t meant to be this way?

To show the world the Savior’s hand

His miracles displayed

 

CHORUS 2X

Bee My Guest article courtesy of Heather Messick

Memory Monday--John 5:24-27

Better late than never...these verses have been on my heart lately because of the father of a friend of ours who is dying of cancer. He is not a believer and up until recently has been very hardened towards the Lord. We are praying that due to some recent events, his heart may be softening. If you are reading this post, please say a prayer for him. Other details are not important here, but just know that he is a husband, a father and a grandfather...and that he desperately needs a relationship with the Lord as his Savior, no matter what the hour of his life.

²⁴"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. ²⁵I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. ²⁶For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. ²⁷And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. (John 5:24-27)

PS....please come back for a visit here tomorrow for "Bee My Guest", where I will be welcoming a dear friend of mine as a guest author tomorrow.  And, there will be a great giveaway also!  You don't want to miss it!

What's for lunch?

A little bit of this.....

....and a few of these little frozen guys tossed on top.....

.....and a good drizzle of this......

....and one of these to lick the bowl......

And you've got yourself quite a lunch!

Enjoy! (But you can't have my dog...you'll have to get your own!)

Bee Aware!

Can you believe it?  It's almost here again!  Another great installment of "Bee My Guest" will be back on Tuesday...and you are in for a real blessing.  My dear friend, Heather (Fath) Messick  will be sharing her heart with us specifically regarding the birth of her youngest daughter, Victoria, who was born with Down's Syndrome and a heart defect.  You do not want to miss out on this!  And, as with the last post, there will be a great giveaway!  As always, to be eligible for the giveaway, all you have to do is leave an encouraging comment for my guest author--and that's it!  Then just sit back and be blessed!  Once the comments are in, I will enter all of them into a random drawing.  This week, we will be giving away a copy of Heather's CD, "Wonder".  As a BONUS, I will also be giving away a copy of our church's  newest CD that was released July 7th called "God Hears" (Jason Breland and the North Mobile Worship Choir).  If you love praise and worship music, then you DON'T WANT TO MISS this giveaway!  So, please come back and visit with us on Tuesday (August 11th).  You will be most blessed, I'm sure!   For now, here is a picture of our lovely guest, Heather and her dear little Victoria Jayne.  I am praying that we'll have another great crowd as we welcome Heather to "Bee My Guest"!

And mark your calendars for Tuesday, August 18th when we will welcome the very precious Joy Lockwood, wife to Chris of 33Miles and Mommy to sweet little Ella.  Joy will be giving us a peek into the life of a wife and mother who has a husband on the road.  Then on August 25th (my Mom's birthday!), we will be  welcoming another very special guest who will be talking to us about the joys (and challenges) of adoption.  Folks...there are some GREAT things coming your way!  I hope that you will mark your calendars for these very special ladies who have taken time out of their busy schedules to bless us and encourage us.  

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!  See you soon!

Friday Funnies

I had to share a little something funny with you today.  The original situation itself was not funny AT ALL.  But, I think that my little attempt to "lighten" the situation was actually the funny part.  You see, my "cousin-in-law", Ashley, is getting married in October (Yay Ashley and Dave!).  There seemed to be a "mishap" of sorts that every Bride-To-Be comes in contact with during the whole planning phase (insert your situation here).  It could be anything from food to what color you want, "Blush" or "Bashful" (as all of you "Steel Magnolias" junkies like me can attest, those are two "very" different shades of "pank")...but, back to Ashley.  I won't mention the specific "potential mishap", to protect the anonymity of those involved.  But, suffice it to say, I had to send Ashley a little something to make her smile on what began as a stressful day, but fortunately turned out to be okay (everything is fine, problem solved--woo hoo!).  So, I sent her this little video below on Facebook, but then got to thinking that there were a whole lot of other people that I thought may get a laugh.  Although, this video has been ALL over the news, so forgive me if you've already seen it.  I had to ask Ashley when the rehearsals were going to start for her "grand entrance"...I thought maybe we could all "one up" them in October.  But, as I also told her, I would rather not have all of us end up in the ER instead of at the reception!

**Author's disclaimer...certain contents of this video may not reflect my personal convictions and beliefs.  I will leave it at that and leave you with the book of Titus, Chapter 2.  

Needless to say, the wedding party certainly appeared to have a great time and I'm sure she would never admit it, but "Miss Manners" herself would have to laugh at this....although for her column's sake, I'm sure that she would remind her "gentle readers" of other, more reserved ideas for a grand entrance!  I personally thought the entrance was hilarious!  Talk about an ice breaker!

 

Marriage Monday....coming again to a blog near YOU!

Just a little early reminder here that I'm posting from E-Mom's blog at     C H R Y S A L I S about a great subject, "Girl Talk".  Read on for futher explanation from E-Mom, since all of the "handywork" in the post below is thanks to E-Mom! This is just a little advertisement for the upcoming installment of Marriage Monday and how our encouraging meme works.  If you have any questions, please either reply back to my post here or you can also ask E-Mom over at  C H R Y S A L I S.  We LOVE new ideas and fresh perspectives on our Marriage Monday topics!  Hope to see you there!

 

**Excerpt below  from blog post submitted by E-Mom at C H R Y S A L I S .  This is especially important , sinc ethe date will actuall fall again within this month on August 31st, due to the Labor Day holiday to follow.   

Girl Talk" is Next Month's Topic

Please mark your calendar for August 31, 2009 for our next topic, “Girl Talk: Mothers & Daughters Talk About Love.” To avoid vacation conflicts, we’ll be meeting the week before Labor Day.

In your next post, you can expand on one or more of
these ideas:

• What are you teaching your daughter about love
and marriage?
• What was your mother’s best marriage advice to you?
• What valuable truths have been passed on by your mother-in-law?
• Where can daughters go for counsel when Mom is unavailable?

 

Marriage Monday Button

 

Want this button?

You probably agree that there’s an unlimited number of savvy bloggers who would love to join us for Marriage Mondays. You can help get the word out by posting the yellow button somewhere in your sidebar. (Just copy and paste the code above.) If you do, please consider yourself part of the Marriage Monday community. Welcome!

 

Free Link Juice

When you’ve posted the button, please let me know by email at marriagemonday [at] gmail [dot] com. I'll add your link to the Marriage Monday blogroll—a little boost of “link juice” to increase your google page rank. In your email please include your name, email address, your blog’s name, and your blog’s URL. Thanks!


A Note to Marriage Monday Regulars

In order to remain on the Marriage Monday blogroll, I ask that you keep the yellow button posted in your sidebar. Mary Poppins does periodic housecleaning around here to keep our list of Marriage Monday community members fresh and current.


Related

1. "I Wish I Knew Why My Husband..." by Amanda & Curtis
at Beth Moore's LPM Blog

2. "Secrets of 50-Year Marriages" by Mary Kassian

Posted by e-Mom at 1:50 PM

 

 

And the Winner Is.................

Post edited at 2:35 PM--original posting had accidentally been saved as a private scrapblog post.  I have corrected the scrapblog all of you faithful readers could at least see what in the world got posted!  Thanks for letting me know April!  That's a true friend for you...kind of like that whole "do I have spinach in my teeth?" thing!  She's "had my back" for a "lotta" years!

Rattling the Cage

Welcome everyone!  I'm SO excited that the day is finally here!  Today is the first installment of a month long series called "Bee My Guest".  Each Tuesday in August, there will be a different guest author here at A Pair of Bartletts, the first of which is a dear friend and sister in Christ.  You may know her as Elizabeth White, the extremely talented Christian romance novelist.  I am privileged to know her as "Beth".  Beth is an awesome lady with the heart of a scribe, devoted to the Lord's work.  She has the sweetest countenance of anyone that you'd ever want to meet.  Most of all, she LOVES her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ with all of her might!  She is a devoted wife and mother and frequently graces us with her flute and penny whistle skills in our church orchestra.  I am not only honored to have her here today, but also thrilled to be giving away a copy of her newest book, "Tour de Force" to one of you!  All you have to do for participation in the giveaway is leave an encouraging comment for Beth after this post.  I will choose a winner in a random drawing and will notify you on Wednesday of the winner. 

Without any further delay....dear readers, I give you Beth White!

 

We shatter devices, exit the stage,

We stop masquerading to the rattle the cage,

We face every searchlight at places we hide,

We dress up for Eden, the gates open wide.

--From “Heaven” by Jars of Clay, from the album The Long Fall Back to Earth

I used to be a person who believed in flying under the radar. For one thing, I didn’t imagine I had an original thought worth sharing with anyone else. I found it comforting to avoid the spotlight while other people took risks and crashed and burned. Besides that, I came to adulthood in the fabulous 70’s, a time when “live and let live” became the American cultural mantra (or “Live and Let Die” if you were James Bond). My generation was brainwashed by film, television, and the publishing industry to believe that no one philosophy or world view contains more or less truth than another. Even as a practicing Christian I had a squirmy conviction that I didn’t have the right to impose my deeply felt faith on anyone else.

Then, somehow, I became a writer.

Oh, well, I’ve always been a writer. I’ve always had a knack for shuffling words around, I spell well, and—thanks to a long succession of militant English teachers—I understand grammar. Those are the tools in my toolbox. The art came later.

My journey to publication was a fairly normal and boring one. I have always enjoyed reading romance—and I mean that in the classic, not the bodice ripper sense—so I naturally gravitated to writing those kinds of stories. I had the usual arrogant idea that nobody was writing romance with a Christian worldview like I wanted to write it, so I planned to step in and fill the gap. And that’s when I discovered a previously unmined store of bulldog, teeth-gritted determination to learn whatever it took to write a publishable novel. Eventually I did.

What did it take? A college fiction-writing class. Membership in a national romance writers’ organization and its local chapter. Participating in a critique group. Studying a shelf full of books on how to write a publishable novel. Giving up weekends and naptimes to write (practice). Being in the right place at the right time.

I interrupt myself at this point to recommend applying the above process to whatever your dream is. A lot of people think that just because they want something badly enough, God will give it to them. I don’t think so. Natural talent will only get you so far. And often we grow and mature in the process of apprenticeship. Most writers simply don’t have anything useful to say until experience has honed the natural talent. And sometimes, for his own undisclosed reasons, God says “no” to the dream.

Anyway, for a long time I was just happy to be along for the ride. God said “yes” to me, connected me to three first-class publishers and a powerful Christian literary agency, and granted friendships with some of the most gifted Christian authors alive. (I treasure those things, though I can’t take any credit for them—it’s simply where God has placed me in the body.) And I walked around feeling alternately unworthy and bruised. Praise is a dangerous thing for the pride; on the flip side, having your words in print makes you vulnerable to harsh criticism.

So when my last contract with Zondervan was fulfilled and God moved me back into teaching music fulltime, I was almost relieved. I didn’t write for eight months or so, at least nothing original. I read and took notes for a historical idea, edited my pastor’s blog, and answered interview questions about the two current releases, Tour de Force and Crescent City Courtship. I couldn’t get a peace about what God wanted me to write next.

Because, you see, by now I’m convinced that words have power. The more I think about the influence of books, film and television on our culture, the more frightened I get about the direction America is going. Have you seriously sat down and thought about how much of your thought process is shaped by what you see on a movie or TV screen, or read on a page or computer screen? As a teacher and pastor’s wife, as a mom and aunt and mentor of young women—heck, as a tiny speck on the Facebook scope—it has become increasingly clear to me that we are in for one big rude wake-up call. Millions of American women are confused, worried, blind to the possibility of hope, the reality of God’s unconditional love, the sure coming of his judgment on our selfishness.

Now, am I delusional enough to think I can do anything about that by writing Christian romance novels that might, max, get into the hands of 10,000 other Christian women? Well, yeah, I guess I am. Because for whatever reason, forums like this keep opening up. Opportunities for me to say: HELLO! My name is Beth White. God has a purpose for your life, just like he’s got a purpose for me. The Bible says so. Creation says so. The proven resurrection of Jesus Christ says so.

I’m tired of downpedaling the demands of faith. I’m sick of standing by and watching my sisters settle for weak, sit-on-your-fanny-in-a-Bible-study Christianity lite. I’m not sure how this is going to play into what I write, or if I’ll ever even sign another publishing contract.

I’m so very far away from where I want to be. But I tell you this—I’m not going back. I challenge anyone who’s reading this to jump off the spiritual cliff with me. What do you have to lose except yourself and your fear? And is that really worth hanging onto?

This "Bee My Guest" article is courtesy of Elizabeth White. 

The Peace of a Praying Husband--A Marriage Monday Article

When I heard a while back from E-Mom at Chrysalis that the topic for Marriage Monday was going to be open, I thought to myself, "that should be pretty easy", and I shoved it into the proper folder  in the filing cabinet of my brain.  Since I have so many things that I would like to write about but haven't yet, I knew that I would never be lacking on writing material for the post today. 

On June 30th, my doctor told me that I would need to have a laparascopy (surgery using a laparascope, instead of a regular incision) for the severe problems that I was having with what she believed to be endometriosis.   Subsequently, the surgery was scheduled and the big day was this past Friday.  Up until Friday, I had only had very minor procedures in the past (for kidney stones) and never anything that required full "knock you out" anesthesia, much less anything that required burning things out of my abdomen.  I had managed to keep everyone around me relatively calm about the whole thing and I even think I had convinced myself that I was "calm" about the procedure as well.....UNTIL FRIDAY!  Unbeknownst to those around me, I was a BASKET CASE on the inside when I woke up at 5:00AM Friday morning.  Every possible (and grossly misguided) thought that I could possibly have entered my head in a simultaneous flood the minute my eyes opened and the "light switch" in my brain turned on. "What would my husband do without me?  What would happen to my family?  What if I was the million and one that became a vegetable after having some weird adverse reaction to anesthesia?  What would they bury me in?"

 I'M NOT KIDDING.....all of these thoughts ran through my mind and then some.  I was about to have someone chemically"turn off my lights" and then someone else was going to put a camera in my abdomen and then use another instrument to burn out what shouldn't be there.  What was I thinking?

Well, as I was lying on the "not so plush" gurney in the outpatient surgery holding area trying to calm myself down without anyone knowing that I was upset, I couldn't help but notice the look on Rob's face.  It wasn't a look that I had seen on him before.  He was very solemn and serious but overwhelmingly "nervous looking".  It was just a couple of minutes before they were about to come and take me back.  Those big brown eyes looked up at me with even bigger tears in them said, "let me pray for you before you go back".  Now, I know that Rob and I both have extremely regular habits of praying for each other, but it was something about "that" prayer.  The moment he uttered those shaky and tearful words, the most incredible peace just washed over my whole entire mind, body and soul.  I cannot even put it into adequate words.  Up until that point, I had not had any drugs, so I assure you, this was not a Versed (Midazolam) induced peace.  This was nothing more and nothing less than the Holy Spirit Himself.  It was not even measurable in time.  It was less than a nanosecond--and total peace. 

Please do not think for one minute that it was my husband, the human being, that was the "deliverer" of the peace.  IT WAS MY HUSBAND'S OBEDIENCE AND SENSITIVITY to the Holy Spirit that ALLOWED the Holy Spirit to do the work that He set out to do in bringing me peace before the surgery.  If Rob had not have been obedient, then I would most likely still have been very unsettled.  I would have probably also been hounded by the Enemy for days, weeks, months and maybe years afterward as to why my husband had not prayed for me.  "He's a Christian, right?  He's supposed to love you, right"?  Can't you just hear the taunts of the Enemy?  He would have loved nothing better than for Rob to have been disobedient to the Lord.  He would have relished in the disobedient believer's failure to pray.  I'm sure that he had a laundry list already made out of all of the torturous things that he wanted to taunt both Rob and I with for forever and a day.  BUT OUR GOD IS VICTORIOUS over the pitiful attempts of the Enemy! 

• "And WHATEVER things you ask in prayer, believing, you WILL RECEIVE." Matthew 21:22 
• "Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." Luke 21:36
• "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to my Father." John 14:12
• "Now this is the CONFIDENCE that we have IN HIM, that if we ask anything according to His will, HE HEARS US."  1 John 5:14

I could go on forever....the Lord's promises are true.  The Lord's promises are Holy and they are just.  They are our ever present help in time of need.  Thanks be to God for a praying husband.  Praise be to God for his obedience to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  The Enemy is vanquished!

I pray that this will be a reminder to me and to those reading that we should be obedient to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  If you don't have a personal relationship with Jesus but would like to know about one, just click here to see if you are ready. He is ready and waiting for you, are you ready for Him? 

Thank you SO MUCH for coming to check out Marriage Monday and thanks SO MUCH to E-Mom and Chrysalis for being our HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTEST!!!  We love you E-Mom!

PLEASE COME BACK TOMORROW TO A PAIR OF BARTLETTS!  Tomorrow will be the inaugural post of "Bee My Guest".  Tomorrow, I will be welcoming a guest author, my friend, Elizabeth "Beth" White and you will NOT be sorry for stopping by!  There will also be a great GIVEAWAY!!  If you want to be a part of "Bee My Guest", then please make sure and stop by each Tuesday in August for a VERY special treat and very special giveaways!  Just leave an encouraging comment for my guest authors on the comment page and you will be entered in the giveaway for that day!  I hope and pray that you will come "Bee My Guest!"  See you tomorrow!   

     

 

Won't You "Bee My Guest"???

It's almost time....the clock is ticking!  "Bee My Guest" has almost come to total fruition.  I am BEYOND excited about this series...words just can't express how thrilled that I am to have such an INCREDIBLE group of some real women of faith to call on to be a part of this special time.  I am SO glad that all of the coordination of this project has already been done.  As a matter of fact, I'm ECSTATIC that it's been done, since I'm writing this post as I recuperate from surgery yesterday!  I had to undergo a laparoscopy for endometriosis yesterday morning (Thanks to all of you who have been praying!).  I'm not going to fib to you and say that it was a walk in the park...it was actually excruciating.  But, to God be the glory, I came through it fine and now have the task of just recuperating from the procedure. I'll have to tell you,  I have a wonderful physician and I have had the constant support of my sweet husband and family.  I am so thankful for that, more than I could ever express.  Actually, I cannot imagine being by myself and not having that support, which gives me a new perspective on those having to go through surgeries and procedures without anyone, BUT, that is another entire blog post itself, so I'll file that one for now.  

Back to "Bee My Guest".....

So, as you know, my friend Beth White will be the first guest author on Tuesday, August 4th (that's just 3 days away folks!).

There will be a great giveaway on Tuesday, so make sure and leave an encouraging comment for my dear friend and you'll be entered into a drawing to receive a personally autographed copy (to whomever you would like Beth to autograph to) of her newest book, "Tour de Force".   If you would like to read my introduction of Beth and her background, you can read my last post about it here.

If you read that last post, then please forgive me for getting some of my dates out of order!  I gave you the introduction for another dear sister, Joy Lockwood,  who will be posting also, but to make a correction, that post will be up on Tuesday, August 18th.  Joy's post will be about the experiences, joys and challenges of being the wife of a (travelling) Christian artist (Chris Lockwood of 33Miles).   SO....On Tuesday, August 11th, the guest author will be another precious friend, Heather (Fath) Messick .  Heather and I have known each other since about 1990, when we met and sang together in choir at Mobile College (now known as University of Mobile).  Heather and her husband Mark have got three BEAUTIFUL little ladies at their house.   Their third and most recent child, Victoria, was born on March 10, 2008.  She was born with Down's Syndrome and some serious very heart defects as well.  Heather will be posting about her experiences as not only a mother, but the mother of a special needs child.  Mark and Heather went through some incredibly scary times with the birth of Victoria and her subsequent heart surgery.  But in ALL of those times, as Heather will tell you, GOD WAS THERE.  He was not only there, but HE CREATED VICTORIA!  He formed her.  He thought of her.  He dreamed about her.  He sent her to this earth!  Hallelujah!! What a Savior!  And when you see this little angel of a girl, you'll shout "Hallelujah" as well....you can't help but shout it when you see that INCREDIBLE smile of hers.  

Just to give you a sneak peek, if you will go to this link, you can watch a video that was put together by a friend of ours (Dave Simpson). The video is set to the music that Heather wrote, praising God for Victoria's life.  Heather penned a song called "She is God's Child" after Victoria was born.  DISCLAIMER FROM THE AUTHOR:  YOU MUST GET KLEENEX BEFORE YOU LISTEN TO THE MUSIC AND WATCH THIS VIDEO.  Not only did she write it, but you will hear Heather singing it as well.  Heather has an incredible gift from the Lord with the voice that she has been given.  She uses that voice to constantly praise her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  So, for now, I will let you listen.  Please come back for a visit on Tuesday, but make sure and make it back for Heather's post on the next Tuesday, August 11th.  I will also be holding a very special giveaway for her post, as I will be for doing for all of them.  Heather produced a CD called "Wonder", which will be one of the giveaways from the day of her post.  I will also be giving away another copy of "Believe", one of our church CD's (Jason Breland and the First Baptist North Mobile Worship Choir), on which, Heather is featured singing the title cut, "Believe".  And, if that were not enough, I will be giving away a very special "surprise" gift that will be specifically in honor of little Victoria and all that she means to her parents and to those of us in the church.  Her story has touched MANY lives since her glorious entry on March 10, 2008.  She is not only the love of her parents' lives, but that of her big sisters, Elyssa and Natalie also!

SO....look at how much you have to look forward to here at A Pair of Bartletts!  I know that you are going to be SO blessed by these special ladies.  So, mark your calendars!  Grab your Starbucks and join us for some very special times!  

((Hugs)) to you