5.03.2010
:. scientific proof .:
Whenever I hear someone citing studies that 'prove' there is no link between autism and vaccines, I think of this:
4.16.2010
:. thoughts while waiting for baby girl .:
Being a mom means you love more deeply than you ever thought possible.
It means you worry more than you ever thought possible, too.
Motherhood is the place where you leave 'self' behind. What begins during the nine months you carefully nurture the tiny little person inside, lasts . . . for the rest of your life. Because no matter how old your children, they will always be your children. The concern for their well-being doesn't end when they turn 18 or leave the nest or have a family of their own.
Being a mom lets you understand (perhaps for the first time) why your own mother did some of the things she did.
Motherhood is the place where you begin to pray as you've never prayed before.
It is the place where your inadequacies loom large in view of the enormous treasure placed in your hands. Where you realize how little wisdom you have, and how much you need God.
Being a mom means you are in store for the biggest joys you've ever known. And some pretty big heartaches as well.
It means you will hurt like crazy when your child hurts. And skinned knees are just scratching the surface. (Literally.) Wait until your child's heart hurts: when a friend has betrayed them, or life has let them down. When they don't make the team, or that girl/boy breaks up with them.
Motherhood means knowing when to let go. It is allowing your kids to make mistakes, to stumble and even fall, because you know that only through struggle do we grow. And it means being there to help them back up on their feet, encouraging them to never give up.
Being a mom means summoning strength when you are weary, patience when you don't feel like it, and asking forgiveness when you mess up. Because you will. And that's okay; your kids need to learn how to make things right when they mess up. Your kids need to understand the human condition, to see grace in action, to know what it is to be unconditionally loved.
Motherhood means disciplining when it would be easier to let something slide.
It means taking every opportunity to teach your child about God's greatest gift, in the hope that they, too, will want to follow Jesus when they are older. It's knowing that they have a free-will, to choose or reject the Savior who died for them.
Motherhood means realizing that you are being watched; that every word and action is being taken in by a little person who is looking to you to see how human beings act and react.
It is knowing that giving them every 'thing' they want will only leave them empty, but that there is no limit on the amount of love you can shower upon them.
Motherhood is dandelion bouquets and sticky kisses. It is the angelic beauty of a sleeping child. It is a boy digging in the dirt; a girl twirling in a pink tutu. It is a lump in your throat when your child succeeds . . . a lump in your throat when they fail. It is pride in their every accomplishment; it is your heart overflowing.
Being a mother means you will most likely see the day when your children have children. And so the cycle begins again . . . intensified by the word "grand" in front of your name.
It means you worry more than you ever thought possible, too.
Motherhood is the place where you leave 'self' behind. What begins during the nine months you carefully nurture the tiny little person inside, lasts . . . for the rest of your life. Because no matter how old your children, they will always be your children. The concern for their well-being doesn't end when they turn 18 or leave the nest or have a family of their own.
Being a mom lets you understand (perhaps for the first time) why your own mother did some of the things she did.
Motherhood is the place where you begin to pray as you've never prayed before.
It is the place where your inadequacies loom large in view of the enormous treasure placed in your hands. Where you realize how little wisdom you have, and how much you need God.
Being a mom means you are in store for the biggest joys you've ever known. And some pretty big heartaches as well.
It means you will hurt like crazy when your child hurts. And skinned knees are just scratching the surface. (Literally.) Wait until your child's heart hurts: when a friend has betrayed them, or life has let them down. When they don't make the team, or that girl/boy breaks up with them.
Motherhood means knowing when to let go. It is allowing your kids to make mistakes, to stumble and even fall, because you know that only through struggle do we grow. And it means being there to help them back up on their feet, encouraging them to never give up.
Being a mom means summoning strength when you are weary, patience when you don't feel like it, and asking forgiveness when you mess up. Because you will. And that's okay; your kids need to learn how to make things right when they mess up. Your kids need to understand the human condition, to see grace in action, to know what it is to be unconditionally loved.
Motherhood means disciplining when it would be easier to let something slide.
It means taking every opportunity to teach your child about God's greatest gift, in the hope that they, too, will want to follow Jesus when they are older. It's knowing that they have a free-will, to choose or reject the Savior who died for them.
Motherhood means realizing that you are being watched; that every word and action is being taken in by a little person who is looking to you to see how human beings act and react.
It is knowing that giving them every 'thing' they want will only leave them empty, but that there is no limit on the amount of love you can shower upon them.
Motherhood is dandelion bouquets and sticky kisses. It is the angelic beauty of a sleeping child. It is a boy digging in the dirt; a girl twirling in a pink tutu. It is a lump in your throat when your child succeeds . . . a lump in your throat when they fail. It is pride in their every accomplishment; it is your heart overflowing.
Being a mother means you will most likely see the day when your children have children. And so the cycle begins again . . . intensified by the word "grand" in front of your name.
4.08.2010
:. noise .:
The prophet Elijah had just come off a big win against the prophets of Baal. [You can read the full play-by-play in 1 Kings 18. Be assured, it's riveting.]
Yes, Elijah proved beyond a doubt that Jehovah is Lord . . . yet he came away from the experience afraid and depressed. He had good reason; Jezebel the queen had vowed to kill him, but I find it quite interesting that after such a huge spiritual victory he would slide into very dire emotional straits.
Chew on that fact; mull it over; ponder it well. I will let you draw your own conclusions, because this post is about what happened next.
After some refreshment straight from the hand of God, he headed to Horeb, "the mountain of God", where he was told "the Lord is about to pass by."
Tornadic winds tore at the mountain, shattering rocks . . . but the Lord was not in the wind.
Then, an earthquake . . . but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake, a fire . . . but the Lord was not in the fire.
Yes, Elijah proved beyond a doubt that Jehovah is Lord . . . yet he came away from the experience afraid and depressed. He had good reason; Jezebel the queen had vowed to kill him, but I find it quite interesting that after such a huge spiritual victory he would slide into very dire emotional straits.
Chew on that fact; mull it over; ponder it well. I will let you draw your own conclusions, because this post is about what happened next.
After some refreshment straight from the hand of God, he headed to Horeb, "the mountain of God", where he was told "the Lord is about to pass by."
Tornadic winds tore at the mountain, shattering rocks . . . but the Lord was not in the wind.
Then, an earthquake . . . but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake, a fire . . . but the Lord was not in the fire.
"And after the fire came a gentle whisper."
And there, there was God Almighty.
We are told in another place to "be still and know that I am God."
It makes sense that we must be quiet in order to know this God who speaks in a gentle whisper.
My question is: with all the noise in our everyday lives, how is it possible to hear Him? How often have we missed His voice because we surround ourselves with NOISE? We carry phones with us everywhere so we don't miss a single call. We stay connected to the internet so we don't miss any emails, tweets, facebook messages. We turn the music up loud, the TV on for background noise, we use ear buds, iPods, lala.
Really? Are we that afraid of stillness? Are we afraid of being absolutely alone . . . with our thoughts, with our God?
Turn off the noise, and listen for that gentle whisper. It could change your life.
4.02.2010
:. for your information .:
• 1 in 91 children (formerly 1 in 150 up until 2009 and 1 in 10,000 in the early 1990s)• 4:1 ratio of boys to girls
• 1 in 58 boys
• Fastest growing developmental disability
• A family with a child with autism will fund 3 to 5 million dollars of services throughout the lifetime of the child.
• More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than cancer, diabetes, Downs Syndrome and AIDS combined.
• Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of most of the more prevalent childhood disorders.
• Approximately 1 million individuals in the US have autism
3.29.2010
:. the message of the cross .:
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved
it is the power of God."
~ 1 Corinthians 1:18 ~
What is the message of the cross?
It is a message of hope for hopeless people. Forgiveness and cleansing. Grace, mercy and peace. It is a message of God's unconditional love. Of redemption and relationship. It is a message of joy and pardon and a new way of being. Death to self and life eternal. It is strength for the weary and adoption as sons.
The cross is God, beckoning, pleading with us to return to Him. To be reunited with the One who formed us. It is God providing the Way to become the people we were created to be.
How is it possible for all this to be considered foolishness? Who could turn down such a gift?
Please, be reconciled to Him. He is stretching out His arms to you right now.
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