The Universe: Fanfare for a Glorious King

My husband has the most wonderful imagination.  I LOVE this about him.  He likes creative story telling, science fiction, epic movies, and anything that will give his imagination a playground. This, of course, is also the source of some interesting conversations.  Today's topic of choice: Aliens. 

I won't walk down every trail we did tonight, but when it comes to aliens I have this soap box and I can't help but stand on it and shout.  There is a fairly popular line of reasoning that comes into play nearly anytime life on other planets is discussed.  It goes something like this: "The universe is enormous.  I just have a hard time believing that there isn't life out there." or "Why would God make something so big and only have little old us in it?" 

Flashback Friday: 9 Years at Pine Cove

Today marks my 9th anniversary at Pine Cove.  I can't help but be a little nostalgic - I mean, really...  I've spent a pretty crucial decade here.  I will never be the same because of what God has done in and through this place. 

I'll never forget how it all came to be. 

I'm Worried About the Children I Don't Have...

When you get a moment to yourself and all the world is quiet, what do you find yourself thinking about the most?  I have to confess, it's really easy for me to be mentally three steps ahead of where I actually am in life.  Part of that is how God wired me.  I'm a strategic thinker.  I like to plan ahead.  I want to see the bumps ahead and maneuver around them.  But part of that is the ever-lurking sin of anxiety that plagues my forever frantic female brain.

Keep Thinking

I was talking with a friend over lunch about women's discipleship.  There is a study currently being done on whether or not women's Bible study is a strong indicator of spiritual maturity (the study has not been published yet, I can't wait to read it).  What a great question!

Why the S-Word Makes People Cringe

Before you get yourself all worked up, let me tell you that this post is about submission.  Please forgive me for bringing to mind any other controversial words starting with the letter S.  But truthfully, when people start talking about the idea of submission, we have all kinds of preconceived notions fly through our minds.  I know I do. I think this is because most of us have heard it taught poorly and have seen it practiced poorly. 

I also want to tell you before we go any further that submission is not just a command for godly wives who live in the buckle of the Bible belt.   (Although in terms of preconceived notions, that's a popular one).  Now, since I am a wife, I will most certainly go there, but if you're reading this post and you're single or male (or both), hear me out. 

What Martha Doesn't Know About Hospitality

Neil and I are a part of a small group that meets every few weeks.  It has been nothing but nourishment for our souls and for our marriage.  We get together with four other couples, eat a fantastic meal, and talk about marriage.  We're reading through This Momentary Marriage by John Piper (which, by the way, is a must read for married couples).  We look forward to every meeting and leave full in every way. 
As we started meeting together regularly, each couple took a turn hosting the evening.  We found ourselves sitting in beautiful homes, eating the most delicious food, and as wonderful as our time was together, I got more and more intimidated to host. 
If you know me well, you know I love hospitality. Neil and I both want our home to be a place where people feel welcome and loved.  I get a great deal of joy out of preparing and serving meals for others.  And for some reason, when the time approached where I would normally eagerly volunteer to host I held back.  I waited for others to offer their home.  I didn't want to invite these people, who I have grown to love and trust, into my home.
I had allowed my joy in hospitality to be hijacked by fear, comparison, and worldly standards.

Ahem... If I could have your attention please.

I would like to introduce you to my friend Ginger.  In addition to being one of the most entertaining people on this planet, Ginger is a passionate follower of Christ.  And she has a gift for connecting with young women.  Check out her website.  Call her and invite her to come speak at your church/retreat/disciplenow/pretty much anything.  Give her blog address to the young women you know... It's geared especially for 6-12th grade girls.  And for Pete's sake, if she posts a video, watch it.  It will always be worth your time.

http://www.gingerciminello.com/

People Pleasing to the Glory of God

If you are a man reading this article, I'm going to try to explain this phenomenon as best I can, but don't worry if you don't fully grasp.  Women are funny creatures.  We are in a constant state of checking in and making comparisons.  Comparing kids. “What are you wearing to the wedding?” “You’re getting dessert? Me too.” “Can you believe she did that?"  We talk about each other's kids.  We talk about EVERYTHING.  What we really want to know when we do these things is “Am I doing okay?” 

Reflections

As I've thought about re-entering the blogging world, I've given some consideration to what my purpose would be in it.  Those of you who know me well know I nearly always something to say, but that doesn't always necessitate speaking.  So what, then?

This idea of the mirror has been rolling around in my mind.  Perhaps because as a woman, I have a love hate relationship with the mirror.  The image that stares back at me is frustrating at times.  It can be a source of pain for a lot of us.  I think about the image that used to stare back at me and how I wish I would have known then how lovely it was rather than picking it apart.  I am blown away at hand how many hours of life we spend standing in front of the mirror examining and criticizing what we see, adjusting it, and comparing it with other images.  And yet we can't help ourselves can we?  It's hard to walk past a mirror without checking my reflection (and be honest - you can't either). 

I'll tell you why this is frustrating.  We weren't created to be the ones casting the image.  We were designed to be the mirror.