Thursday Thirteen

Five Thirteen things I love about Jesus.

Coach Jenny asked me to do this meme. If you want to see where this all started look here.

It’s been a hard one for me to do. Not because I can’t think up hundreds of things I love about Jesus. But because I didn’t want to narrow down to five. So I saved it for my Thursday Thirteen. I don’t know that I can do this justice. I’ve read so many eloquent and moving posts out there on this. But here is what I felt led to share…

1.He is not Santa Claus. Santa will only bring me good things if I am good, if I observe the correct holidays and if my family subsidizes his benevolence. Jesus loves me no matter what—now, He wants me to be the best I can be—but the gift is in spite of the fact of my frail and flawed self.

2. He loves little children. And wants us to have the heart of a child.

3. He saw the way people really were and met them as they stood. He touched the untouchable. He didn’t ask them to change until He changed them by meeting them.

4. He knows what I feel. He’s been there, done that, got the t-shirt and more. There is nothing I have gone through that cannot be understood by Jesus.

5. He wasn’t afraid to have a good time. Don’t let anyone tell you that Jesus didn’t have a good time—He endured the ultimate in hardships, but when He was with His friends he had a good time. He didn’t stay away from the wedding, from dinner parties, from gatherings. He was there.

6. He left heaven to walk on earth. I’m just waiting to do the opposite.

7. He wants to share His inheritance. I am the adopted child. I am wanted. I am heir to a kingdom.

8. He was the perfect sacrifice, the lamb without blemish. He fulfilled every prophecy about Himself. I am awestruck at that.

9. He meant what He said. He said, “I Am the Way, the Truth, the Life.”

10. He said what He meant, “No one can come to the Father except through Me.”

11. He grafted me into the vine. Through Him I am able to live here. “I am the Vine. You are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him he will bear much fruit, apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

12. He is faithful…even when I am not.

13. Because He loves you as much as me…will you meet Him today, if you never have before? "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:19-21 KJV

What do you love about Jesus? Consider yourself tagged.

Thursday Thirteen participants are found at the Hub.

Looking Backwards for a Moment

There is more joy in Jesus in twenty-four hours than there is in the world in 365 days. I have tried both. –R.A. Torrey


So who was I? Well, I seem to remember being a quiet person. That has changed. Of course I used to be thin, interesting, creative, well dressed, manicured & coiffed. But that was at the height of my heathen stage, so maybe I won’t pine too much. Who I was—in college I was an Advertising and Public Relations, emphasis on graphic art major (which was why I was in the theater dept. three to four days a week for dance class). I had enough credits to have graduated with an English degree, which was what I should have done. Actually I majored in having a little too much fun, wasting a lot of time and being very interested in everything.

All that, of course, translates into seven years in retail management, five years in ophthalmology, five years at a horse barn, working for trucking and shipping companies, and health care. Some of these were accomplished simultaneously otherwise if you do the math I appear older—I am old enough, don’t need more help. What I really wanted to do was be a teacher—guess what—I ended up doing that anyway. So it all turned out well in the end...

Becoming a mom has been the most rewarding, difficult, joyful, fearful, exciting challenge of my life. It seems like all those other things were part of a different person’s life. The teacher part started the day we decided to homeschool Roo, ds1. We made that decision before he was born. Then I went gung-ho and read everything I could get my hands on. I was so ready to start right then. Maybe I should have, because I keep getting farther and farther behind. Oh well…

My boys—Roo and Boo are smart, funny, challenging and a slew of other things I could brag about. I am sure I will. I am thankful for my Darling who puts up with my idiosyncrasies and loves me for who I am. We’ve been through a lot together and I am glad we have.

Looking back on who I was…makes me think I will stick with who I am. Warts and defects and all.


Sweet Will of God
Words and music by Leila N. Morris


My stubborn will at last hath yielded;
I would be Thine, and Thine alone;
And this the prayer my lips are bringing,
Lord, let in me Thy will be done.

Refrain
Sweet will of God, still fold me closer;
Till I am wholly lost in Thee;
Sweet will of God, still fold me closer,
Till I am wholly lost in Thee.

Refrain

I’m tired of sin, footsore and weary,
The darksome path hath dreary grown,
But now a light has ris’n to cheer me;
I find in Thee my Star, my Sun.

Refrain

Thy precious will, O conqu’ring Savior,
Doth now embrace and compass me;
All discords hushed, my peace a river,
My soul, a prisoned bird, set free.

Refrain

Shut in with Thee, O Lord, forever,
My wayward feet no more to roam;
What pow’r from Thee my soul can sever?
The center of God’s will my home.

Refrain

As 2006 ends...

The year ended with the dog eating part of the gingerbread house and one cat deciding it was a good idea and sampling one of the gingerbread trees. Then the dog ate a loaf of bread and part of the paper wrapping. The dog has had her freedom revoked for when we leave the house. My psychologist friend says poochie is “acting out.” Well….Yeah???!!!!!! But with two boys ready to act out, I don’t have time to psychoanalyze the dog. She gets locked in the kennel when I leave. No brainer.

The year ended with haircuts—finding young men under the mops that had accrued. Boys hadn’t had haircuts for three (!!!) months. There was a good reason—because the year ended with Roo’s completing 10 Nutcrackers and Boo getting to watch twice. —but ahhhhhhhh…I love it when they look like gentlemen.

The year ended with too many goodies (the ones left alone by the dog) in the house and heartburn. Oh my, the heartburn. The year ended with more electronics and Transformer toys. There were also some old-fashioned games and arts and crafts.

The year ended with traveling to the grandparents for a less than 24 hour visit, with four hours of travel there and four back. My mother is still fighting cancer, my mil struggling with her issues and the frustration with what each of those mean.

Many activities were not accomplished and a lot of housework piled up. The year ended with a feeling of dissatisfaction that the whole point of Christmas and Hanukkah had been missed and that it was all my fault. There was the awareness that I have come in a circle with my beliefs and the confusion that comes with that.

The year ended with gratefulness that the LORD allowed me to go through all of this because it is certain all of these and more have molded me and hopefully pointed me more in the direction that I should be going.

Some of my favorite decorations are stitched with the word “JOY.” I had left them out all of 2006 hoping they would focus my attention to Him and the joy that only He provides. I need a lot more work. So I am dedicating 2007 to finding joy.

Joy to the world! Joy comes in the morning! Count it all joy…you see where I am going?

Who I am to begin with.

I am a believer trying to sort out the issues of obedience, dying to self and loving others. I am trying to learn submission with confidence and what Scripture says and shows about parenting. I want to find joy in all things. I believe it is a truth the there is joy in all things and a mindset to allow yourself to see it. Joy is my goal for 2007. I want to trade my sorrows.

I am a wife to a good man who is my friend. We have hammered on things for fourteen years and are still working. We believe our only option is to make our marriage the best it can be. If anyone would want to know why I put up with his “things” the easy answer is that he has always put up with mine.

I am a mother to two young sons. They are blessings and smart, talented, and handsome. And if someone thinks I might be biased…well, YEAH!! We are eclectic homeschoolers. I sometimes use workbooks and sometimes unschool. Sometimes there are areas in between. We don’t fit a mold very well.

I write like I talk, lots of punctuation, intentional misspellings, and CAPS!!! You can’t see me waving my hands around or hear my voice so that is my attempt at internet body language.

I am conservative, traditional legalist, an open-minded, freedom loving liberal, housed in a libertarian body. I don’t like blanket statements or stereotypes, but I do believe that right is right and wrong is wrong. But I am not your Holy Spirit—and no one else is mine. So that is clear as mud.

I believe I use the word “I” too often and would like to see it uncapitalized. Like “you” and “he” and “she.” “i.” I think every Bible should capitalize every name of the Father, Son and Spirit and all referring pronouns.