Licking Life's Plate
It’s raining here in Coatesville – August and mere 58 degrees!
(Which I love – I’m a cooler-weather kinda girl, my favorite seasons being spring and fall.)
Anyways, being as it’s pouring outside, we’re indoors today and having a “Peter Pan Day”.
Continue reading “Peter Pan On A Cold, Rainy Day”
(This post was started in July… so, I’m keeping the original title post :D )
Hard to believe that Summer ’07 is almost over!
Tom and I are already thinking about our Christmas Eve dinner menu and putting money aside for our family feast.
If there are difficult family situations or past unresolved hurts, it’s very easy for people to dread family gatherings. There’s an expectation that the family holiday events will be as pretty as the cards we get during that time of year.
A friend of mine said:
It’s six months away, and I’m thinking about Christmas already. I’m not worried about shopping, not worried about cooking, not worried about decorating, BUT I am worried about family peace at the holiday.
I’m smiling because I can relate to what you’re talking about here!
Here are some things to consider as you look ahead to the winter holidays:
Continue reading “Christmas Conflict in July”
The false teaching of the “prosperity gospel” is something we see a lot here in the city of Coatesville.
People here are very poor, but drive, as Piper even mentions here, BMWs to church. They cannot pay their bills, but they have DishTV for every room in the house. They believe that personal wealth and pain-free, hardship-free living is proof that God loves them.
Church attendance becomes a game of oneupmanship.
When the focus is on keeping up appearances and the lifestyle and not on Christ, there is no spiritual growth. There is only pride and the sense that we can provide our own salvation.
Pain and financial hardship are suppressed – because to be open and honest would tell others that God must not love them – instead of turned over to the Great Physician who also happens to own all the gold in the world.
Piper puts it clearly: It is idol worship. It is worshiping the gift instead of the Giver.
Continue reading “The Poverty of the Prosperity Gospel”
It involves a person taking care of an infected insect bite.
You know, I’m not squeamish. I often imagine myself as being an ER doctor in a parallel universe.
Let’s just say, I ended up pulling my I <3 My Geek shirt over my eyes and watched part of it through the black fabric.
Click at your own risk. No, I’m not putting the video up on my site.
Oh yeah – and first put down any food you might be eating.
http://www.digg.com/videos/people/Horrible_Spider_Bite_Video
I’d say something poignant about God here, but I really can’t think of anything.
Honestly, I want to ask Him someday, “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?!”
Note the Stewardship tag. This is because if you have something like this on your face, GO TO YOUR DOCTOR WHILE IT’S SMALL BEFORE IT TURNS INTO THIS!!
I stole this just-for-laughs story posted below from Moms of Grace. I tried to find the original source but, alas, it’s unattributed and is posted at various websites for moms all over the Internet.
Yesterday, Tom came home to find me with my feet up – just as I should have been. Reading this story today reminded me of how I felt, reading on the couch, as I watched disasters happening all around. Tom certainly did NOT ask what I did all day!
At lunch time, each of my children “helped” by getting out their “own” butter-knives – two each, one for peanut butter and one for jam – and made their own sandwiches. “I made this all by myself!” each child said proudly.
Late at night, before we went to bed, we were ritualistically locking up the house together. When we were locking up the kitchen door and windows, Tom asked, “What’s the deal with all the butter knives in the sink?” :D
Oh the stories mommies could tell…
Continue reading “What DO you do all day? Taking it easy…”
On Saturday night, I had a positive pregnancy test.
It was faint, so I took another one first thing Sunday morning – also positive.
On Monday night, I had really painful cramping.
Tuesday morning, I started bleeding.
My doctor’s nurse arranged for blood work to be done Tuesday afternoon. I got the results this morning.
Here is a copy of an email I sent this morning to the people who knew:
Dear Friends and Family,
The results from yesterday’s blood work came back this morning. The pregnancy hormone was at “2” and the nurse gently said, “I’m really sorry – you’re no longer pregnant.”
The antibodies screen came back normal – no worries.
Pregnancy hormones increase each day of the pregnancy. If the number was 5 or higher, then they would have kept testing to see if there was a baby still there. So, in a way, I’m relieved that we don’t have to keep holding on to hope and wondering.
The nurse said I should be alright because it was so early, but gave me things to look for to know if I needed to go to the ER.
I feel more worn out from sadness than anything else.
Tom and I gathered the kids around this morning and told them the news. They were sad, but took it well.
We are very thankful for the five children that we do have and for this little flicker of life that has taught us so much.
Thanks for all of your prayers, your stories and your sweet notes and calls filled with encouragement. No one could ask for a better circle of friends and family. I am very thankful that we did not have to go through this alone. You mean a lot to us! Praise God.
Much love,
In Christ,
Sarah Joy Albrecht