A post?

So I've had a whole lot of writers block, but who am I kidding?  I knew when I started this blog it would not be consistance but I did hope to post, like, once a week?  I figured I would have something to say, as I am a pretty opinionated person.  At family gatherings, I'm usually the one that loses her voice, because I don't stop talking-I've always got SOMETHING to say. 

But I've got NOTHIN'
Nada.
Zilch.
Zero.

So I might as well go off on the deep end.  Give me a topic, let's see who can get me going. 

Hey!
Look at this!  I've got a post...about nothing!

Overparenting??

So today, on the wonderful world of Facebook, my friend posted an article from Times.com about Over Parenting by Nancy Gibbs and it got me thinking. Why do so many of us over-parent? Now understand that I am a parent of 4 kids, my oldest being almost 17 and my youngest 5, so I have a lot of experience being a parent. I'd like to think I know how to be a (semi) successful parent, as they are all well adjusted, functional human beings. And quite smart I must say (no bragging here, *cough* GPA's being over 4.0 *cough*)

So why do we always feel we must protect every moment they have? Don't they lose the purity of childhood? The experiences? Don't you remember running around your neighborhood and the only rule we had was, "Come home before the lights turn on". I know as a kid, I was all over my neighborhood, running around like, well, kids and having sooo much fun.

I have to say, I'm now proud that I am a little more of a hands-off parent. I try to encourage my kids to be the person they were truly meant to be, even if it seems sooo weird to me (and yes, sometimes Rachel is sooo wierd . But hey, she's an artist and only expressing herself.). There are limits, but I try to always keep in mind, "Does this really matter? Is it better for them to express themselves or is it time for a little bit of a reign in?" Deciphering between those has become my goal.

Last year, I would not let my two junior high school age ride their bikes to school. But we live on a pretty busy street, and their whole route would be very visible so the chances of them getting mugged or kidnapped were slight, so outside of being ran over, it should be a great option for them getting themselves to school. But of course I was reluctant. The "what-ifs" came poring over me. And I admit, some were pretty stupid. So this year, I relented. And actually, I think this might be good for them. Every morning now, they are responsible to wake themselves up, get themselves ready and get to school on time. I now have nothing to do with it. Could this be teaching them responsibility? Don't we have to do this EVERY day for our jobs. This is a life skill that needs to be learned.

I've now read twice that when kids are bored, it's a chance for creativity to flow. If you have little ones, break out the Legos, Lincoln Logs, PlayDoh, crayons, paper and watch the magic flow. Now if you have teenagers, once you get past the complaining, sometimes you'll see magic happen. My 15-yr old has recently learned to play the piano and has now started composing her own song. Seriously? Have you ever composed a song?? I was blown away. My youngest girl (she's 12 going on 21) started writing poetry that was quite good. I mean, it was GOOD. And my eldest, well, she's always in her room, drawing and writing her own book. Yeah, that's right..her own BOOK. Even if they never use these skills for a career, being able to think outside the box and coming up with creative ideas is always a good life skill to have.

And just as a little disclaimer, my husband and I, along with my ex-husband (the girls' dad) are pretty strict parents. We have rules and pretty high expectations, but at the same time, the more responsible they act, the more freedom they earn.

So I say, let the kids be bored once in a while, let them walk to school, give them some freedom and watch what they become.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also"

So today at church, our pastor talked about money. Oh brother, I’m sure some people thought, he’s begging for money.

But seriously, it wasn’t like that. He talked about how, we, the richest nation in the world (yes even during this bad economy) we are always looking to have “more”. More what? More stuff? I know my husband and I are guilty of it. Our Xbox broke, so we decided to go ahead and just buy a PS3 instead. Which meant buying all new games. Was that really necessary? Was that a want or a NEED? (OK-so for me, it’s a really big NEEEEEEDDDDD. I love video games. I think the only person who spends more time on the video games is my son. But I usually end up taking over his games…for hours). But really, this stuff happens all the time. Why do we, overall speaking, HAVE to have stuff? A lot of people blame it on all the commercials, which doesn’t help, but I’m beginning to think it’s really part of our nature. It’s that sin in us that is never satisfied. Shouldn’t we be content?


“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)


“But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. (1 Timothy 6:8)


Funny thing happened during my 9-month time of unemployment term…we were content. I think Billy and I were just so happy we weren’t in danger of losing the house or going without food that we were content. All our bills were paid and that was one of the periods of my life that I’ve been the happiest. All our needs were met and we were very aware of that fact. In turn, my marriage flourished, I reconnected with my kids, I loved staying home. I would probably still be out of work, but honestly, the job found me. Or, I should say, God gave me this job. And even though I took a pay cut, I LOVE my job. Well, I should say that I love the people I work with. I mean, come on, I fill out paperwork for a living. But the people I work with are some of the funniest, kindest people I’ve met. My faith in God has grown like it never has before. All of this came about, when I got laid off and we went back to bare minimum. Dude! We’re struggling more now than when my pay was half of what it is. ??????????? How is that?


So going back to the pastor’s message…


He went on to say that giving is part of the blessing God gives us. We are not cisterns, but channels. The more we have, the more we should be giving. Not just money, in all things. Time and money. As Christians, we should be the ones known as givers. Helpers, people who others go to in time of need. Are we?

Miracles??

OK-so I'm almost always a Doubting Thomas. So to say that I truly believe in miracles is kinda big for me. And I do believe in miracles.

Wait, let me back up a bit...

So as some of you know, my 19-year old nephew Allen has stage 4 colon cancer. Yeah, I know, shocked us too. And the prognosis is not all that great. So, like a good Christian, I've turned to prayers. What else do we have in these situations?

So tonight, a lot of the family and friends gathered. It just so "happened" that another cousin of Allen's went to church (for the first time) last Sunday and encountered a healer. Let me tell you a little of his story that he shared.

He was born in India, in very extreme poverty. At the age of 12, he decided to commit suicide. He felt hopeless. But God spoke to him, and spoke to him BIG. He dreamed a dream 3 times, where Jesus was on the cross and said to him, "look what I did for you..." and basically called to him. Jesus told him (in the dream) that God would give this guy the gift of healing, would heal thousands of people and bring glory to God. This guy had a purpose in life and God needed his hands. So, needless to say, he didn't kill himself, but clung to God instead. He has now been to 52 different countries on healing ministries and has seen God heal THOUSANDS of people.

So Allen's cousin approached the healer that day at church and told the healer of her 19-year old cousin with cancer. He made arrangements to lay hands on Allen and pray for healing.

So, back to tonight, this guys comes with his, I guess I'll call him his assistant. So they come in, shake hands with a few people, introduces himself, tells some of his history and reads some verses from the bible.

He points out some verses that it is "God's will for the sick to be healed" and read an Old Testament verse (Bre, help me out! I sooo need to relearn the Bible) and then a New Testament verse stating Jesus’ lashes that he received were to heal us of our illnesses. He then prayed to ask forgiveness of sin and ask God to come and touch all of us. He then asked Allen to come and stand and asked all of us to reach out our hands to Allen and pray also. He began to rebuke cancer, and his voice became very strong and authoritative. He prayed more, stating that Allen WOULD be healed and it would bring glory to God, and Allen would be serving God for the rest of his days. He continued to pray and then Allen fell softly to the floor. That's when I truly began to believe this guy might be for real. Allen is kinda a macho kid. I mean, come on, this 19-year old young man is not going to fall on the floor just because this guy was pushing on his head.

And there was definitely a Presence in the room.

I think we all felt it. Even Allen's friends were affected, and I don't believe they even actively believe in God. And then It spread thru the room. Anyone who had any kind of affliction came to him for him to lay hands on them. There was such love and peace and unity in the room, it was almost overwhelming. The most confirming of the healings was one of Allen’s friends. The healer asked, “Is there someone here that has a stomach ailment?” Turned out there was. So after his friends outted him, he stood up, with his arms crossed. You can tell he was not believing in any of this. So the healer laid his hand on the guys head, and in about 10 seconds, this guy goes down. I was kinda amazed. He looked a little dazed when he got up, so something was definitely going on.

So anyways…after things settled down and the healer said his goodbyes, Billy, Allen and I were on the front porch and Allen turned to Billy and said that he did feel Something. He felt himself swaying the whole time, but couldn’t make himself stay still. He felt Something.

So now I’m gonna stand on my internet soapbox and proclaim-I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES.

I believe Allen will be changed for the better. I believe he will be healed, fully healed. I believe Allen will live to be a very old man, in good health and serve God. Maybe God allowed cancer into this young man’s body to grab his attention, knowing how we would gather our friends and family and PRAY HARD for healing. Maybe this was the only way God could get Allen’s attention. Either way, I believe God touched Allen tonight and I pray Allen remembers this and thinks on it and turns toward God.

James 5:14 “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven”

Chosen? v2

OK-so my friend posted a response that was just sooo RIGHT ON. Bre, thanks for re-stating what I was trying to say, but from a Biblical context. I love it so much, I'm re-posting it, just to make sure everyone will see it.

BreannaKay said...

I have been thinking a lot about this topic myself, lately.

I have been re-connecting, through facebook, with a lot of people that I went to school with. It has made me realize how much I took for granted that everyone was a Christian at my Christian school. We all had to take our bible classes and such, but, outside of the Bible Study group I went to on Friday mornings before school, I never really talked with many people about if they REALLY believed. I just assumed everyone did.

And now I see on people's profiles so many different religious beliefs. There are many people that are so on fire... and so many that say things like "God, what god?" or "don't know don't care" or whatever. And I wonder, "what has changed?" "Why do they not believe, when others do? Was there something in their home life, or did a particular church turn them off?" "How could this person that I sat next to for 4 years NOT have been chosen... how could they NOT have chosen HIM?!"

I know I have gone through my periods of low fellowship with the Lord... but ever since I can remember, I have believed. God has always been deep rooted in my soul. My Grandma loves to tell the story of the time that we were all having a picnic, I was about 4 years old or so, and I wondered off... They were looking all over for me and finally found me at the top of a hill. My arms were stretched out above my head and I was yelling at the top of my voice "Praise the Lord!

I believe that, as children, we are saved. And once we get old enough to realllly understand, we have to choose b/w Christ and going our own path, a decision that has to be made before we die, but is best made as soon as possible :P. In Romans 7:9, Paul said that he was alive apart from the Law until the commandment came, when sin sprang to life and he died. Obviously this wasn't him dying physically, but spiritually. He was alive (saved) until the commandment came (he really understood right from wrong), and then he died spiritually (ala Adam and Eve after eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil). But, I believe some children learn enough about God to choose Him before (or at the same time) that they go right from saved to saved. (ala the rapture, no physical death). Though, I suppose an argument could be made for if they are aware enough to choose Christ, they are aware enough to not choose Him...but to that I say that it is the Holy Spirit who is guiding them early. Which could very well be because of prayers from family and friends etc...and God does say that we have to have the faith of a child... but, I digress.

I think we ALL are chosen, but many choose not to reach out and accept it. 2 Peter 3:9 says The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. How can he HONESTLY say that he wants everyone to come to repentance, if there are some that he has not chosen. He wants absolutely all of us, and we all get at least one chance, even those who have never even heard of the name of Jesus. (ok, another verse) Romans 2:11-15

11For God does not show favoritism.
12All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)

So... to make a long story short. Yes, I believe he calls out to all of us, and some answer. But, He also knows who will answer, and has known from before the beginning of time... isn't it amazing that he STILL calls out to those who He knows will turn their back on Him? What amazing love...


Again Bre-so right on. He already knows who will answer his call, but he did call everyone.

Chosen?

So today at work, my co-worker and I started talking about the Anne Rice books about Jesus, which then led her to point out how she believes (with an example of her own life) how God has chosen you and sets you apart. She asked if I could remember as a young child being led toward God. Hmmm. That makes me think. I do know I've always had this...yearning(?) for a higher power, even as a young child. From my Grandparents down, no one in our family attended church. My mom believed in God, but only in a vague way. I do remember when I was in elementary, I went to Sunday School a few times with my cousin Theresa. I vaguely remember going, but I was too intent on earning the Snickers as the prize. I remember having fun on the bus with all the other kids, but that's about it. One of my Aunts starting working at a church and became closer to God. She’s still a Christian, just not attending a church, since the last one left a bad taste in her mouth.

I do know as an older child/young teenager, I was very lonely and sometimes depressed. There was always a big empty space that wanted to be filled up. As I got older, it only got worse, with thoughts of suicide and just all around miserable. Could it have been because I was away from my Father? And my soul knew I was lost? Hmmmm….

Could it just be genetics? I understand a lot in my family are prone to depression. I don’t doubt I have at one time or another been full blown DEPRESSED. Right after my 1st marriage broke up I definitely had a hard time. With pills in hand I contemplated suicide.

I do know that since God grabbed me and shook me up and hasn’t let go since, that my life is almost always joy filled now. Most often I am content with my life and overall happy. I still have moments where I am frustrated or angry or sad, but nothing close to the extent of what it was earlier in my life. For the most part, I feel HEALED. Is it me just maturing and growing as a person? Or could it be God?

In October of 2008, I was laid off my job. It was very devastating because I had put my heart and soul into that job and all the sudden…it was gone. At first, Billy and I went into panic mode. What are we going to do about money? How will we pay the mortgage? And all those other questions one thinks when you lose a job. After the first few initial months, the “curse” turned into a HUGE blessing. I found myself laughing more often, happier, more content. My pay had just been cut by half and yet we felt richer. We were eating better food, enjoying our time with each other more, and oh yeah, the house was CLEANER! I found myself enjoying being the stay at home mom, which I never have before. Instead of being bored, I felt relaxed. I didn’t feel so worn out on weekends, found myself WANTING to go to church and be around friends. So maybe God wanted me to lose my job to gain my family back, who had gotten lost in my pursuit of a “prestigious” job. All in all, that time of unemployment was a huge reset in my life. It gave back my perspective of what REALLY matters in life. A good career is great, but isn’t your family more important? I had forgotten…

But finally after nine months of being unemployed, my job found me. And I do mean found me. I didn’t look for this job, it came to me. And WHAT A BLESSING! I LOVE the people I work with. I’m now surrounded by Christians. What’s funny is that it seems to be carrying over into my personal life too. I’m getting new friends thru some of the strangest ways, but hey, I’m not complaining! My life has gotten richer.

So I come back to, are we chosen? Has God always been holding onto me? Trying to guide me? Hmmmm. Are we the chosen because when He called out into the dark, we are the ones that turned around and said, “Hello? Who’s there?” and went in pursuit of finding out who that voice was?

Don’t get me started on theology. I’d go all night…maybe next time.

Get off your Soap Box Lady!

So I found out my new friend has a blog and it fascinated me. I thought, "I should do that". I can't tell you how many times I've carried conversations with myself in my head about a topic I heard, read or just thought about. I mean, I really REALLY carry on conversations with myself in my head.
I have a feeling I might get "preachy", hence the name of the blog. Now I can rant and rave and preach to my heart's content without worrying I'm talking someone's ear off when they probably don't even care. So now I say "HA". If you don't like my topic, you can push me off my soapbox by clicking on the little "X" in the upper-right hand corner of your screen! And you can disagree with me. My opinion is just that, MY opinion. I like to hear other people's opinion. What if you theories are better than mine? Sometimes (only sometimes ppl, let's not get crazy) I like to be wrong, just so I can learn something new. I love factoids and certain periods of history, along with creating theories on all sort of topics.
I probably won't be consistent with new posts (is that what you call these? I don't know, o well, whatever, who cares) only because I have a husband, 4 children and two dogs. In other words, I have a very busy life.
So as I create more blogs, I hope you'll get to know me, maybe even like me. Sometimes I can be funny, always self-deprecating, and of course, always dorkily goofy. (O be quiet, I know that's not a real word, but again-HA this is my blog. Go get your own if you want to be all grammatically correct).