A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. This is how the Scriptures say that two people are married. Many think that there is much more involved or that you have to buy into what the culture says about how to get married but the Scriptures are clear from the beginning and never waiver from this. When a man and women are joined together, they become one flesh (which is the Scriptures way of saying that you are married). This joining together happens through the sexual union of a man and a women and in this way only. It does not matter if the man and woman intend for this to be the result of their union. We are told in the New Testament that if a man has sex with a prostitute that he is one with her. This shows that sex is how the marriage union is created and how it is kept together. This is to say that the common idea of “premarital sex” is really a fabrication. The typical term for this is “fornication” but biblical scholars already have started translating this term as “sexual immorality” because they know that where it appears in Scripture, it does not refer to premarital sex but of immoral sex. There really is no such thing as premarital sex. When a man has sex with a women, the two are made one flesh whether this was their intention or not. Many are truly married who think of themselves as “dating” or “living together”. The church should always treat these people according to biblical wisdom and not let them cop-out of the relationship that they have created. We should consider these people married regardless of the lack of a governmental marriage contract. The government does not get to decide who is married. God alone binds people together; we cannot change this.

We also know that God only binds together men with women and does not bind men with men or women with women. People who participate in same-sex sexual acts are not bound together and this is immoral. It does not, however, matter much whether the government allows them to make contracts (although I think it would be better if they didn’t call these contracts “marriages” because that would be a lie). If the government wants to allow same-sex couples to be legally considered one, it shouldn’t matter much to the church because we know that same-sex couples are not actually one and that the government is wrong is about considering them one when it just isn’t true. We should not fight the government on this because it just isn’t worth it and we shouldn’t be afraid to call the government wrong. We know what marriage truly is and should teach that whenever possible, that is enough.

What is the most obvious difficulty that we mothers face?  Our bodies. They are not our own in ANY way, and honestly hardly look like our own anymore. Between pregnancy, nursing, hugs, kisses, lifting, holding, clinging, and sex with our husbands, there is nothing left to call our own except maybe our knees, which tend to ache from all the lifting, carrying, holding, swinging around, etc. My hair has to be tied back so that my son doesn’t rip it out. My lips constantly whisper reassuring phrases. My nose is assaulted with the odor of things that need to be changed. My ears are on high alert to whispers, sniffles, and sneezes, not to mention ringing from the screeches. My arms are for lifting, my hands are for holding, my stomach is for growing life, my legs are for carrying, my breasts are for feeding… You get the point. The best thing is to accept this fact and move on! I heard someone say once that the healthiest thing you can do concerning your newfound identity is to go ahead and grieve for the freedom you once had, and that applies to your body too! Oh wow, isn’t that a statement that would beat any lecture on abstinence!

This may not be an issue for some mothers. I personally, however, have never been a manual labor type of girl. I’m very artsy, and use my fingers more than any other part of my body. What’s that verse again? “3 Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Yeah, that.  In other words, I don’t really like to exercise. 

I’m going to share a moment of TMI. I took a shower five minutes ago. I was noticing my little stretch marks, my flabby belly, and the effects of nursing. I have two choices when tempted to despair: either exercise and diet, or accept it. To be truthful, I have to do a combination of both. I know I never wanted to be the frumpy mama on the playground. I know I want the energy to run after my kids without turning beat red and my heart pounding out of my chest. I know I don’t want to jiggle when I walk! I am 5’3 and weigh 154 pounds. I didn’t gain much weight during my pregnancies, I just ate too much before and after!

So far I’ve only talked about weight, but there’s so MUCH that changes physically, and none are too easy to accept.  For now, though, the rest of this blog will have to wait.  Energy fading…

I’m celebrating my 36th birthday today and people tell me that it’s hard to think of a gift for me because I seem to have it all. Well materially that’s a lie because my want lists seems to be getting longer, but overall I do have it all.

I have it all because I have a relationship with Jesus and I have my Sweetheart Yet, Gelo and Monty with me. That really completes me. I almost lost them, but I fought hard and sacrificed to keep our family together. It was not easy but realizing how God was working especially those times in the dark helped me through. It was an uphill climb but I worked on my relationship with Jesus first then my relationship with my wife and kids were restored in the process.

Lord, thank you for the 36 years, thank you that I am complete because of You. Lord, one thing I pray for this coming year is the desire in our hearts to have a daughter. Lord, I honor You with the works of my hand and my life. In Jesus Name, Amen!

Next….My Family & Friends… and then My Job as God’s Sevant……

Here are the free videos by Tedd Tripp from a recent conference.

This year for our Thanksgiving Eve worship at Cross of Christ, we focused our giving thanks on the blessings the Lord provides through God’s gift of vocation in the areas of the home, the community, and the church. So for your Thanksgiving blog reading enjoyment, here is the first commentary of the three-part series…

Giving Thanks for Our Callings in the Home – Ephesians 5:21-6:4

You hear the word “vocation” and I would guess you think of a job. You hear the word “calling” and perhaps you think of someone like a pastor who serves in the church. The fact is, every one of us has been called by the Lord to serve, not just here in church though. No, he calls each and every one of us to serve our neighbor out there in the wide world.

Who is that elusive “neighbor”? Every person God has seen fit to bless through the callings he has given to each of us in three basic areas—the home, the community, and the church. That neighbor could be the person next door, the customer of your business, the child under your care, or the sibling in Christ with you here. Basically God blesses your neighbor, whoever that is and wherever they might be, through you. At the same time, you serve the Lord when you faithfully carry out those God-given callings.

Think about it. You wouldn’t be in church if the Lord had not used the callings of others to get you here, whether the parents who raised or raise you, the pastor who shared the Gospel with you, the factory workers who built your vehicle, or the farmers who produced the food you ate for supper. God uses all these callings to bless us and all our callings to bless others.

So why talk about them on Thanksgiving? It should be obvious. The Lord in his grace could use miracles, but normally he uses our vocations to provide blessing to us and others. As we gather to give thanks for those countless blessings, we ought to also give thanks for God’s blessings of our vocations.

The most basic of all those vocations is found in the home—the family. Every one of us has been called into a family. Now our callings in that family may change from child and sibling to spouse or grandparent or extended family, but we’re still blessed by being part of a family. In fact, the Lord uses the family to provide the basic building block that gives structure to society and even provides the basis for our callings as citizens and workers. God cares very much about the family. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t devote so many verses and so many chapters throughout his Word to the family.

Within the family, we have the blessed gift of marriage. St. Paul lifts up marriage as a beautiful illustration of the intimate union Christ has with his Church—Christ with his servant-leadership willing to sacrifice it all out of love for his bride, and the Church willingly submitting out of respect for Christ’s headship. Struggle and strife and pain can come when marriage isn’t seen this way, but by God’s grace through marriage, God provides countless blessings to husband and wife. He provides loving companionship without comparison, sexual happiness that is only allowable in the intimate union of husband and wife, and children.

Yes, children are a blessing and the family is a blessing to them. Through the family, God cares for children as parents are called to be the source of his blessing, even when diapers need to be changed, flu bugs attack, shoes need to be bought, or kids go off to college. Parents, especially fathers, are also called to train their children in the ways of the Lord, so they know about their Savior, starting when parents bring them to Baptism.

Children have a holy calling too. They are to obey their parents as if they were obeying the Lord himself, which really they are. As all the family members, then, carry out their God-given callings within the family, they are to do it in Christ-like love by which God blesses the family and society. All this is possible because God values the family, even putting himself into a family when Jesus became a son. May our gracious Lord then continue to bless you through your callings in the home, and for those blessings we give grateful thanks!

This year for our Thanksgiving Eve worship at Cross of Christ, we focused our giving thanks on the blessings the Lord provides through God’s gift of vocation in the areas of the home, the community, and the church. So for your Thanksgiving blog reading enjoyment, here is the first commentary of the three-part series…

Giving Thanks for Our Callings in the Home – Ephesians 5:21-6:4

You hear the word “vocation” and I would guess you think of a job. You hear the word “calling” and perhaps you think of someone like a pastor who serves in the church. The fact is, every one of us has been called by the Lord to serve, not just here in church though. No, he calls each and every one of us to serve our neighbor out there in the wide world.

Who is that elusive “neighbor”? Every person God has seen fit to bless through the callings he has given to each of us in three basic areas—the home, the community, and the church. That neighbor could be the person next door, the customer of your business, the child under your care, or the sibling in Christ with you here. Basically God blesses your neighbor, whoever that is and wherever they might be, through you. At the same time, you serve the Lord when you faithfully carry out those God-given callings.

Think about it. You wouldn’t be in church if the Lord had not used the callings of others to get you here, whether the parents who raised or raise you, the pastor who shared the Gospel with you, the factory workers who built your vehicle, or the farmers who produced the food you ate for supper. God uses all these callings to bless us and all our callings to bless others.

So why talk about them on Thanksgiving? It should be obvious. The Lord in his grace could use miracles, but normally he uses our vocations to provide blessing to us and others. As we gather to give thanks for those countless blessings, we ought to also give thanks for God’s blessings of our vocations.

The most basic of all those vocations is found in the home—the family. Every one of us has been called into a family. Now our callings in that family may change from child and sibling to spouse or grandparent or extended family, but we’re still blessed by being part of a family. In fact, the Lord uses the family to provide the basic building block that gives structure to society and even provides the basis for our callings as citizens and workers. God cares very much about the family. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t devote so many verses and so many chapters throughout his Word to the family.

Within the family, we have the blessed gift of marriage. St. Paul lifts up marriage as a beautiful illustration of the intimate union Christ has with his Church—Christ with his servant-leadership willing to sacrifice it all out of love for his bride, and the Church willingly submitting out of respect for Christ’s headship. Struggle and strife and pain can come when marriage isn’t seen this way, but by God’s grace through marriage, God provides countless blessings to husband and wife. He provides loving companionship without comparison, sexual happiness that is only allowable in the intimate union of husband and wife, and children.

Yes, children are a blessing and the family is a blessing to them. Through the family, God cares for children as parents are called to be the source of his blessing, even when diapers need to be changed, flu bugs attack, shoes need to be bought, or kids go off to college. Parents, especially fathers, are also called to train their children in the ways of the Lord, so they know about their Savior, starting when parents bring them to Baptism.

Children have a holy calling too. They are to obey their parents as if they were obeying the Lord himself, which really they are. As all the family members, then, carry out their God-given callings within the family, they are to do it in Christ-like love by which God blesses the family and society. All this is possible because God values the family, even putting himself into a family when Jesus became a son. May our gracious Lord then continue to bless you through your callings in the home, and for those blessings we give grateful thanks!

I look around me at all my friends, who have just become single moms, and I wonder what we are doing wrong?   Why are the marriages failing?  Since I have never been married, I couldn’t say I have a clue.

Don’t get me wrong… I am glad to be single, and not in a horrible relationship.  But the truth is, I sometimes would like to be loved and hugged by someone of the opposite sex, who isn’t less than 4ft and calls me moma. 

The problem is, I just can’t gather the courage to run out there and join the dating world.  I wonder if it is because my son is much older, and I don’t want to spend what little time we have after school and homework away from him… or maybe it is because I know what kind of man is really out there. 

I think the last is it…

I have watched friends date, get married, and now divorce.  8yrs of this cycle!  I don’t think I can do it. 

I did date for maybe 2 or 3yrs, but the men ended up still married but separated, or a fixer-upper.  I just don’t have the patience for one of those, and I respect marriage too much to get caught up in one that isn’t mine.  But wow!  Some of my friends are out there, and taking on all that crap!  Some are even sitting around waiting for their boyfriend to divorce their wife!!!!  -Wha!!??? 

I just don’t get it! 

After months and months of dropping those extra 180lbs of dead weight, they go out and get themselves another pile of dead weight.  I can’t stand it and can’t be supportive anymore.  I can’t hear about the drama… it just makes me angry.  It disgusts me.  I feel like such a horrible friend, but I can’t watch these beautiful and talented women/mommies destroy themselves and the families. 

What has happened to us women!?   Why are we settling?  When did we forget that we are the precious daughters of the KING of kings?  When did we lose our self-worth?

I know I have lost a bit of my self-worth, because I look in the mirror and don’t like what I see. 

It is time to change!  It is time to take my life back!  I want to hope again, and have courage again.  I want to show my son that life is more that what we make it >> that, it can be better than we could ever dream when we have God in he driver’s seat!  I want my son to have a Godly father on Earth that can show him how to be a good husband.

This is my desire! 

But first I will work on me.  I need an accountability partner… when left to myself, I slack off =(     

This is where I am right now.  I had to get it off my chest. 

If you are listening -please pray for me <3

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