A high compliment

My daughter came over last night and asked me "How do you love a child that's not yours?"

Maybe I should clarify that. My step-daughter, who I raised from the age of 4, came over last night and asked "How do you love a child that's not yours."

To be honest, I'd taken my melatonin already and I was on the fast track to la-la land. When I woke up, that was the thought on my mind and it's stayed with me for a while now.

I gave her advice that I think is sound. I told her to do the things she knows to do to parent a child. Eventually, the feelings would come.

What I didn't share was this: I loved her because she was part of Mike. And Mike was part of me. The other half of my soul. How could I not have feelings for those two little girls that came with him?It wasn't easy. I didn't have the experience of carrying them in my own body and birthing them. I didn't have the history of their infancies.

It was hard. At first. But one day, I realized that God was not going to cut me any slack because "step" was part of my title. In God's eyes, I was "mother." I had a responsibility before God to these two girls. I couldn't tell you the day I stopped thinking of them as my step-daughters and started just seeing my daughters. But I suppose it was around the time I started staying up all night with them when they were sick. When I baked their birthday cakes. When I noticed my personality characteristics coming out in their lives.

I don't think Alex realizes what it meant to me for her to ask that question last night. I don't think she realizes that was the highest compliment she's ever paid me.

My younguns

Recently, I had the pleasure of having all of my kids at the house at once. Doesn't happen often! I took full advantage of it and made them all stand around and get their picture taken. I haven't processed these images, but I wanted to show them off.


My four:



add in the husband/fiance:


add in the grandkids:

This was a little surprising

Well, as you may know from reading this blog, I tend to believe that men and women are created fully equal and that there is no job or calling or ministry that should be decided based on gender alone. I suspect that hearing "You were supposed to be a boy" all my life from my mom has something to do with why I'm a little sensitive on the gender issue, but I digress.

I ran across a website, a church's website that shows videos of past sermons. But it's from a church whose pastor, Mark Driscoll, that believes differently than I do on the gender issue. I've always held him in some contempt. But when I listened to one sermon on birth control, I liked it. Then I listened to more in that particular series. I really liked them. I've started on another series and I can safely say that I have enjoyed every sermon I've heard from him. And I've enjoyed his messages as I've rarely enjoyed sermons before.

This is going to be one of my resources when I feel I need a little extra. I'm happy to provide you all with a link to the first series of sermons I heard "Religion Saved and Nine Other Misconceptions." It's a wonderful series that might really help you like it helped me.

http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/religionsaves

When it rains...

...it pours.


Mike had a particularly hard day at work this week. He came home exhausted and worn out. And with a nice souvenier: an umbillical hernia. Surgery with two to four weeks of recovery time is NOT what we need right before Christmas. At least it's a work-related injury so I don't have to fret over the medical bills. I have to worry about the "workman's comp doctor" sending him back to work to soon, but I'll just trust God there.

So, I've been following this gender debate on the blogosphere. There seems to be this rising force in American christianity that would have us go back to the first century for women's rights. In the extreme right we have folks who believe that men are the head not only of the home and church but all of life. Women shouldn't vote. Daughters should be the "helpmeet" of their fathers until they get married. Women should not use birth control at all and have as many babies as possible. Children should be homeschooled and daughters should never be exposed to such terrible influences such as found on college campuses.

I kid you not.

Look up Vision Forum, Doug Phillips' blog and other very google-able keywords that are in the above narrative.

On the other extreme you will find folks who believe in complete equality. No leadership happens based soley on gender. All men do not have authority over all women. Women can and should be ordained as elders/pastors. They also don't believe that husbands are in authority over wives.

Somewhere in the middle is the truth. That's what I believe. I think that honest, God-fearing, God-loving believers who self-identify with both sides (complimentarian and egalitarian) can have happy marriages. And, frankly, those believers on boths sides of the fence who are living their marriages out are indistinguishable from the other. You just can't always tell unless one of them tells you.

I say all that to say this: there are a few on the egalitarian side (my side, for what it's worth) that I follow. I enjoy reading the Complegalitarian blog. I read the Christians for Biblical Equality blog. I read Wade Burelson's blog. (I read the "other side" too, btw, just to see what's being said). But there are some on that "other side" that I tend to stay away from and demonize. Marc Driscoll is one of those.

He's the pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA. He's known for wearing jeans and t-shirts and hoodies instead of three-piece suits when he preaches. He's known for his killer wit and mocking of just about every sort of group. He's unapologetic on his beliefs and has no trouble going toe-to-toe with anyone. He's been labeled as a mysoginist by Christian Feminists.

During a discussion on abortion, the topic of birth control came up. Someone on a blog linked this sermon:
http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/religionsaves/birth-control

I listened to it.

I changed my mind.

In another sermon in that series, he talks about doctrines that should divide us (such as the trinity or salvation through Jesus Christ alone). But other doctrines are not as important and we can agree to disagree. I've decided that it's a good thing to call Marc Driscoll my brother in Christ.

If you get a chance, and have no beverages in front of you (spew danger), check out this sermon:
http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/religionsaves/humor

My sides still hurt from this one!

Cute as buttons

I'm still trying to get a new pic of Lynn but here's the latest of my grandkids:

Other recent cards

Transparency used for the card then stamped. I think I'll try this again with rubons - less drying time!
True friends...I enjoyed using the close-to-the-same colors for this card

40! My brother-in-law turned 40 this past week and I had fun teasing him. The inner black cs is inked and embossed around the edges
I used Versamark on the bottom brown paper with a flourish stamp Instead of digging out the sewing machine, I used a stamp of stitches...much easier. I also embossed the stamped stitches.
I saw this design using pretty colors for an Easter card. I liked the design but for this time of the year I thought I'd try the coffee cup from my Beyond Birthdays Cricut cartridge.

This is a tri-fold card. I think next time I'll use satin ribbon. The rik rak doesn't tie as prettily.

cards made with new Cricut cartridge

Wedding card - the frame is from a different object on the cartridge and so I had to experiment to find one that would fit around the wedding cake. Also, it would be SOOOOO easy to customize the colors to the particular wedding. I just used black/red/yellow/white as generic colors.

baby boy card also made with border punch
baby girl card - I used a small strip of blue cardstock behind the eye holes to give the impression of blue eyes
halloween card - the "boo" is part of the card frame from another pumpkin design on this cartridge
this card frame is HARD to glue - I really need to get a bigger Xyron sticker maker!

birthday card - the flames on the candles are embossed with UTEE