And They Cried Out

The Beautiful Gospel

2011-05-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

I awoke this morning and immediately felt overwhelmed as thoughts began to fly through my head faster than I could process. Obviously, not a great way to start the day. I got out of bed anyway; you have to when you are a mama of four. And honestly, I think that's what did it before I even opened my eyes- I am a mother of four! I made it down the hall way and out to the couch still aching from my c-section. With one eye propped open, I sat down and watched Sammy run around and listened to Luke fuss as he awaited his bottle. My attitude continued to run down hill as I contemplated the day ahead of me. Although I would never want to be away from the kids 10 hours a day, I secretly envied Tim as he got ready for work. Finally, the little brothers and I sent Tim off to work. To top it off Sammy gave me a bit of a fight to go in his room for his daily "reading" time. Luke went down for his morning nap and it was time for me to be renewed.

With a steaming cup of coffee I opened to a newly treasured passage of scripture, Psalm 103. I have been camped out in Psalm 103 for the last month and last week Tim brilliantly suggested I commit it to memory. This mornings reading is a follows:

"Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseased,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagles."
Psalm 103:1-5

In my ESV commentary, it states that "Bless the Lord" means to tell speak well of Him for His abundant generosity. I love that! He has been abundantly generous with me, no doubt. The scripture goes on to recount the Lord's benefits:

*He forgives our iniquities
*He heals our diseases
*He redeems our life from the pit
*He crowns us with steadfast love and mercy
*He satisfies us with good and renews our youth like the eagle

As I read of the Lord's abundant generosity the Spirit of God began to lift my broken spirit. He forgives my iniquities- my unbelief that He will sustain me, my grumbling spirit, and my "woe is me" attitude. He heals our diseases, mental and physical. He redeems our life from the pit. He took me from the pit and has been faithful to never leave me-no matter if my pit was self induced, deserved, or undeserved. He crowns us with steadfast love and mercy. Steadfast-unwavering love and mercy. He satisfies us with good. Period.
He renews our youth like the eagle. I certainly need to be renewed as I have a newborn and a two year old!

In no way am I convinced that I have mined these scriptures for their true worth. This is just what the Lord spoke over me this morning. I do know that all of these things can be found in and through Jesus Christ and that is the beautiful Gospel that renewed my mind on this dreary morning. This is the beautiful Good News that enables me to smile at Sammy boy who stepped in the cat's water, plays on the stairs ( a big no-no), and pulled off the rest of Luke's umbilical cord (yuck). It is the Good News that reminds me to have patience with my Sarah who really just wants to help me and be a blessing. And it is the freedom that the Gospel brings that enables me to relax when my teenager Justin, well behaves just like a teenage boy should.

Thanks you Lord for saving a wretch like me. Thank you for your abundant generosity that you daily bestow on your children.

Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

Our current events

2010-12-07T08:04:00.000-08:00

If I physically wrote down every blog post I thought of, I would probably be updating my blog at least once or twice a day. Obviously, lately that has not been the case. For now, just a few random thoughts and a brief look into our lives for the last few months.....

*IT'S A BOY! We are expecting our 4th child and our 3rd boy May 5th! I am very excited for Sammy boy to have a little playmate and it should work out beautifully that they will eventually share a room together.

*Sammy thinks the ornaments on our Christmas tree are shiny pretty balls. Needless to say, we now have fewer shiny pretty balls on our tree. :)

*Tim had two weeks of vacation in November and early December. It was so wonderful to have him home. We played a lot of Farkle and UNO. The kids loved having him home and so did I. We enjoyed so many rich and thought provoking conversations. Today is his second day back at work and I miss him being here so much.

*I think I am going to paint (have Tim paint) our kitchen Lime Sorbet and our entry way and really nice goldish yellow color.

*A Sarah Grace quote: "Mommy, I wish I had Grace Kelly's wardrobe!" Love this girl. :)

*We recently had a scare where we thought Justin had appendicitis, it turns out he pulled a stomach muscle playing football with his Daddy.

*Why do women post pictures of themselves in bikinis on Facebook? I'm just saying........

*I have not purchased even ONE Christmas gift. Oh my!

*I cried this morning over_______________________. Yep, fill in the blank. I read Psalm 145 and was so comforted by the Lord's kindness and patience.

*I miss being with our families for the holidays. Maybe I will never get used to living out of state this time of year. On that note, my mom is coming out for a visit mid January and my sister just might be visiting in February! :)

*Our church family has undergone so much suffering this year and yet there is such a spirit of praise and thanksgiving to God. I am deeply challenged in all of my inward and outward grumbling about meaningless difficulties.

*Tim bought the book, "The Valley of Vision" and read a prayer of thanksgiving to me last night before we went to bed. I pray I can have a heart filled with gratitude like the Puritans, just beautiful and inspiring.

*Lastly, Sammy boy is yelling in his crib-reading time is over! I hope to get on here again very soon.

Until next time,

Missy

The Gospel

2010-09-13T08:16:00.000-07:00

It's a slow start kind of Monday morning. Praying this blesses you as much as it does me today!

(HT: JT)

Until next time,

Missy

And the clock keeps ticking.....

2010-09-09T19:28:00.000-07:00

I have a rare moment of silence in our home. Tim took Justin to youth group and Sarah tagged along with him! Sammy boy is now fast asleep. I sat down on the couch and thought about what I might do with my time. I have been so convicted about all of the media I take in and we don't even do TV anymore. However, I still have NETFLIX, social media, radio, and of course the Internet to peruse. I waste more time and it just kills me.

Today I read a devotional in John Piper's book, "A Godward Life-Book II". It hit on all cylinders. It was entitled, "Please Feed Me More, The Cry of Dying Faith". His opening paragraph: "Faith feed on the Word of God. Without a steady diet it gets weaker and weaker. If you are dissatisfied with your Christian courage and joy and purity of heart, check the way you are feeding your faith." And that about sums it up. Back to my first point about wasting time; I know that media in itself is not evil, it is the desire of my heart that I have a problem with. The things I mentioned above are things that typically dull my affections for my Lord Jesus Christ. After engaging in such things for too long, I am left feeling like an empty shell and dull in the mind.

So you might ask, how are you feeding your faith? Honestly, it's unsatisfactory. My morning devotional time with the Lord is just so short, mainly because I wake up just minutes before Samuel and with that the Mama hat goes on. At this stage in the pregnancy, by nightfall I just want to climb into bed and sleep. I can hear my dear friends telling me that it's just a season and this too shall pass. But I know that this life is a vapor and I am not guaranteed tomorrow. I don't want to waste another day with idleness!

And this is my prayer:
Lord God, thank Your for Your Holy Spirit Who convicts me of my sin and the precious blood of Jesus Christ that makes it possible for me to be in right standing before You. Please forgive me for my wastefulness and selfishness with the minutes of the day. Please change my heart Lord. Please help me to desire You more and put to death the deeds of my flesh. Please give me a hunger and thirst for Your Word, for in that will I find true satisfaction. As Your child, You created me for Your glory-please let it be.

Until next time,

Missy

Fall is in the air!

2010-09-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

Fall is in the air! Finally, a wonderful cool day here in TX! Today the kids (including Sammy) spent most of the day outside, what fun! We had a great summer and with a lot of family from Arizona coming out to visit. In fact, in six weeks time, we had 21 days of company. The kids thoroughly enjoyed visiting with their cousins and their Aunts, I think we all did.

We typically start school around here after Labor Day, but this year decided to start a week early. Everyone was ready to jump in and get rolling and that's quite refreshing for me as their teacher. Tim is taking over History and Geography this year and it's already proven to be such a blessing. He's a great teacher and the kids really enjoy the extra time with him.

We had some surprising news last week; it seems that the Lord has added to our family once again! I am expecting and the Lord willing, due in May!

May the Lord bless you and keep you and my His face shine upon you and give you peace.

Until next time,

Missy

Counting it all joy!

2010-04-26T13:36:00.001-07:00

2 e Count it all joy, my brothers, [2] when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that g the testing of your faith h produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be i perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James 1:2-4

It's been ten days in our new house and we are counting it all joy:

New home ownership

Ants and ants and ants and ants and ants and ants..........................................................

Pest control visit

More ants

An overflowing washer

Roto Rooter visit

More ants

A plugged up toilet

A visit to Home Depot for snake rental

Sewage back up

Have I mentioned ants?

A LEAKING PIPE

Wet carpet and padding

A sewage pipe break

Ants................................................

Waiting for Pest Control to make another visit

Seriously, God has been very gracious to us and He is the best provider. He has given us peace even in the craziness. I will admit when I got the analysis from the plumber today I almost cried, but I remembered that God is sovereign. He is totally in control and that even this seemingly abysmal situation is nothing for us to fret about. Psalm 37:8

Thankfully, my Bible Study this morning was on Joseph and God's sovereignty. Joseph was wronged by his brothers to put it lightly (Genesis 37) and in the end was able to see that although his brothers misdeeds were meant for evil, God is sovereign and He meant it for good! I LOVE that.

Having "situations" with our house is certainly nothing like being sold into slavery or being imprisoned, but the principle remains the same. Our great God is sovereign and there is nothing that touches us that doesn't pass through His hands first. Today we are considering this little trial as a chance to exercise our faith and count it as pure joy, because we know that we are developing a steadfastness that only comes with the fire.

Thank you Lord for your tender mercies that are new every morning, great is Your faithfulness to us O Lord.

Please help us to continue to rejoice in You. You are sovereign and Your understanding no one can fathom.

Until next time,

Missy

Thankful

2010-04-20T07:35:00.000-07:00

It's a new day in our new house; our first Tuesday to live here. Spring has sprung in our back yard and I am so thankful to gaze through our dining room windows at our beautiful trees scattered through out. Tim said he spotted a cardinal a few mornings ago, I hope it will come back to visit soon.

I am ever so thankful to the Lord for blessing us with our home. The closing of our house took several months-very long months, but I wouldn't trade the waiting. We learned so much about God's provision, sufficiency, grace, and joy in the midst of waiting. Our kids learned the lessons right along with us and we know that our home belongs to the Lord.

We have visions of hospitality, (ever notice the word "hospital" in that?), laughter, tears, growing children, many visits from family, and lots of late night talks around the table. We are thankful.

At the moment I am aware that a crazy amount of boxes await me in the garage for unpacking, so off I go.

Thank you Lord for your bountiful provision and your sustaining grace. You are good and your love endures forever.

Until next time,

Missy

I'm sorry!

2009-12-06T19:39:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've last blogged! We have had an awful lot going on around here and I hope to update very soon.
A mini teaser: crawling-standing-letting go-, broken computer, teenager in the house, packing and purchasing our first home, strep throat, RSV, ear infections, birthdays, cousins, home school, weight gain(yep, I said gain), new computer :), thankfulness, blossoming daughter, wonderful husband, faithful God!

The Lord willing, I will get to write soon!

Until next time,

Missy

Hello!

2009-10-11T20:23:00.000-07:00

Hello!

It's been a few weeks since I've last had the opportunity to blog. That might give you an indication of craziness in the Linkletter household!
Our sweet Sammy was really sick over the past few weeks. He came down with RSV, a double ear infection, and is getting 4 teeth in!. Can you say poor baby? Along with all of that I think each one of us got a cold and the parents of the household had very little sleep.

I hope to write a bit more tomorrow, but for tonight I will leave this great link to some God centered music http://newmonikermusic.com/

Until next time,
Missy

A few candid shots

2009-09-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

Sammy was not cooperating!
Brother to Brother

Sammy Boy-8 months old

Our newest edition "Cali"

Can you believe what they do to me around here?

Sam Houston Memorial

Bug Eyes!

And I cried out!

2009-09-21T20:28:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you have given the name of this blog much notice "And They Cried Out". The title was born after reading Psalm 107 on a weekend get away. It resonated so deeply with me because with out my God, I have no hope, only despair. If by chance you haven't read Psalm 107 recently, it's a must read! When you get there, take notice how many times the it says: "and they cried out in their trouble and He saved them from their distress."

Last week was one of crying out to Him in my distress. The week before I found a lump-where no woman wants to find a lump.... Thursday they were able to get me in for a mammogram & ultrasound. Exactly one week of waiting. One week of intense crying out to my Maker. One week of wondering if my life would be altered forever. One week of looking at my husband and children with a heart overflowing in anguish. The night before my tests, I tossed and turned most of the night. I was in one of those "half asleep-half awake" states. Every time I would turnover, I cried out; "Abba, help me, Abba, be with me!"

I got to the hospital a little early and was able to do some reading. I felt directed to go to Romans 8. Honestly, I thought I would probably read Romans 8:28, but my eyes landed on verse 15. "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." My spirit rejoiced with in me! At that moment, I felt the Lord's presence and I knew that He heard my cries. He rescued me from distress, His presence calmed me.

When I say that He rescued me from my distress, I don't mean that I felt a guarantee that they wouldn't find cancer. I mean that I knew whatever they were about to tell me, that He would be with me and that He would sustain me. As it turns out, they did find a mass about 1 1/2 cm and it "appears to be benign". I don't think their too worried about it because they said they want to see me again in FOUR YEARS!

I pray that I don't come across trite; "I don't have cancer, He's a good God, and my life just goes on...." The fact is that He is a good God no matter my circumstance. I am a great sinner, in need of a Savior. Truly, He rescued me from the pit of despair when He called me to Himself. Me, a sinner-separated from a holy God. He lavished me with His forgiveness and grace through His son Jesus Christ! If it weren't for Him, I would be utterly lost and without hope. Today, I have been spared by His great grace. (see Romans 3:23-24)

Our lives on this side of eternity are a mere handbreadth-here today and gone tomorrow. None of us know how long we will have on this earth! King David said, ”Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath” (Psalm 39:4-5) I pray that for the rest of my days, however long are short they might be, will be days of making much of my Savior!

Whatever the circumstance you find yourself in today, cry out to Him, He will not disappoint.

*Below is a song that has blessed me much this last week. Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5i2pELpqBg

Until next time,

Missy

Checking in

2009-09-04T20:25:00.000-07:00

If you were a fly on the wall in the Linkletter household over the last week, here's what you would have experienced:

1) I started on my healthy eating plan-we are one week down as of Tuesday.

How would I describe it you ask?

hard-great-difficult-imperfect-growth-grace-grumpy-more grace-
still learning-excited-progress-still crying out

2) Signed Justin up for fall ball

He's wanted to play baseball since last year, but we missed the deadline because of all the craziness with Sammy. They asked Tim to coach his team and he agreed. We are all pretty excited to get to support Justin this way. We went to his first week of practice this week. We are relieved that Tim will have help coaching. We really feel like this was placed in our lap from the Lord and are excited to see His plan play out in it all. Justin's first game is on Saturday.

I am happy that he finally gets to play, he's waited along time!

3) Wrote out our goals for homeschooling this year

Tim and I sat down and discussed our goals for our family for the upcoming school year, we start on September 8th. I found a planbook specifically for homeschooling and it has different areas for spiritual, academic, physical, social, and character goals. It was so helpful because it focused me on the right things for our family with the big picture in mind.

4) Flu shots/flu mist-yuck!

Sarah had her 10 year old check up on Monday-we are just a few months late on that one! While she got a clean bill of health, we all walked out with either the flu-mist or a flu shot. We have never had that vaccination; but because Sammy is so little, she highly recommended it. Sammy ended up with a fever that night and Sarah had a fever on Wednesday. I just felt under the weather for a few days while Justin went unaffected as of today. I hope it will be worth it come flu season. I highly doubt I will be signing up for that again anytime soon-at least for myself.

5)The Name Game

Kind of funny. I've been called a lot of different derivatives of Missy believe it or not. To name a few: Mitsy, Misty, Messy and even Dnissy! But this week topped them all. Our neighbor sent us an invitation to her church social and it was addressed in her hand writing "Missen Linkletter"! Yep-Missen....hmm what is one to think of that? :)

6) Our memory verse of the week

Our church has a memory verse every week. We have decided as a family to memorize each verse on a weekly basis. I hope to share it with you on a weekly basis.

Our verse for September 6th is:

" I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other; nor my praise to carved idols."

Isaiah 42:8

*The above picture was taken right after we finished dinner a few nights ago. I just loved how the sun was shining on our memory verse...reminded me of just a glimpse of His glory!

Until next time,

Missy

Apples of Gold

2009-08-27T15:47:00.000-07:00

A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.
Proverbs 25:11

I have some apples of gold to share with you today! Today I was listened to Nancy Leigh Demoss'two part broadcast. Wow, what a treasure chest of of riches. Mary Kassian was the guest speaker, she speaks the truth and doesn't hold back. If you are a women, a wife, or a mom, you won't be left wanting. If you get a chance, go on over to her website and check out all of the apples of gold in settings of silver.

Until next time,

Missy

Cherishing Discipline

2009-08-26T18:29:00.000-07:00

Well, day #2 of my healthy eating plan is coming to a close. It wasn't a perfect day, but thankfully this journey is not about perfection. You know, I truly think the first day is almost always the hardest for me to actually get started. However, the second day and days following, I am usually quite tempted to go into auto pilot. Auto pilot meaning- follow the plan, check off my little boxes, and ignore the heart work that needs to take place. But because hindsight is always 20/20 (I have LOTS of hindsight); I know that if I ignore the heart work, I will most definitely find myself getting a do over once more! When I mention heart work, I am not talking about having a visit with Dr. Phil. I am referring listening to the Holy Spirit and applying the scripture to my heart.

With that in mind, I thought I would share a few of the verses that have spoken to me in the last month as well as a few of my thoughts. I desire for these scriptures to make it on a note card with the hope of committing them to memory. Let the heart work begin!

"The sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks and but finds nothing."
Proverbs 20:4
When I read over this verse the first time, my cute little jean jacket came to mind- true statement. I'll be honest, this scripture reveals my own vanity, yet it speaks to me deeply. I have an entire closet full of clothes (really cute clothes) that I cannot currently wear. Yes, I did just have a baby but that was 7 months ago! And I cannot kid myself, those clothes were beginning not to fit before I was pregnant. How do I expect to fit into that cute little jacket when it gets cold if I don't do the work now? When fall comes, which happens to be right around the corner, I really would like to wear my fall clothes. But, it won't happen if I continue to imitate the sluggard and do nothing but ponder at my own obstinate heart.

"My sons, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they though best; but God disciplines us for our good that me may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12: 5b-11

There is so much here and I am in no way attempting to do a exegeses of this scripture. I am however greatly relating to the fact that no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but that later on it will produce a harvest or righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
I cannot tell you how many times Tim and I have shared this scripture with our children. It's never fun to discipline them. When we discipline them we want to encourage them that first, we love them, thus we discipline them. And second, it is for their good as followers of Christ that we discipline in order for them to produce a harvest of righteousness and peace.

The same can be said for me. It is not fun to be under the Lord's discipline, but painful. The last few months have been agonizing. I have flirted with the truth that I need to submit my own sinful desires to Him and yield. I have heard His voice and pulled back and pretended that I didn't quite comprehend. I actually got to a point where I was utterly confused, wondering if this area of my life was even sin! Oh how our own hearts can deceive us. "All a man's ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart." Proverbs 21:2

I feel I must make one thing clear. I really don't think the Lord is concerned with my "weight loss goal". What I do think He's concerned about is my heart. The dreaded heart work...
Going to Scripture with questions like, "Why do I love this sin?" "How many minutes or hours a day am I consumed with thoughts of me and my appearance instead of delighting in the Maker of Heaven and Earth?" or "What does the Scripture say about how I conducting my life and living out my days?". These are the things that I must place at His Throne of Grace and plead with Him to change my heart to desire to do His will!

Lest you are tempted to be enchanted or commend me for my walk with the Lord, please know that I am oh so prone to wander-and quickly! I echo the apostle Paul, "What wretched man that I am, who will rescue me from this body of death! Thanks be to God- through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Romans 7:24-25a. It is only by the grace of God and His glorious Gospel that I am not eternally damned.

I rejoice that the Lord is patient and gentle. (Matthew 11:28-30). He is a loving Father who disciplines me for my good that later I might reap a harvest of righteousness for His glory. He is teaching me how to relinquish control to Him and trust Him with the deepest complexities of my heart. When I begin to fret how I will make it on day #3, He reminds me not to worry about tomorrow as today has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:34)

Lastly, as I previously stated in an earlier post, I am learning that self-discipline is not about me controlling my sinful desires. It's about submitting, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the Almighty God, saying no to sin and yes to Him. I am still learning to cry out to my Maker (Psalm 107) and to trust Him as He walks me through this time of discipline. That later, one day I might share in His holiness and reap a life of righteousness and peace.

Until next time,

Missy

Another Do Over!

2009-08-25T14:40:00.000-07:00

I believe in "do overs". For several years Justin, Sarah, and I have practiced them together. Usually, when one of us is really grumpy and we know it, we request a "do over". We all put our hands on top of each others and count1-2-3 and then shout, "DO OVER!". And if one person doesn't seem to be into it, well we just do our little do over all over again!

Guess who gets the do over? Yes, that's right, it's me! Except there's no shouting and cheering today and I haven't invited Justin or Sarah to join me. Today I started over (again) on my eating healthy plan. I have been undergoing the Lord's discipline in this area of my life. I think I could write an entire novel on it, but I'll spare you today.

I have mentioned Titus 2 several times in previous posts and am still captivated by Paul's words of instruction for the older women to teach the younger women. There are seven things that Paul instructs the older to teach the younger:

1) to love their husbands

2) to love their children

3) to be self-controlled

4) to be pure

5) to be busy at home

6) to be kind

7) to be subject to their husbands

On July 1st as a matter of fact, I underlined each word in my Bible and stopped and thought of my own life. I entered them into my journal and wrote just a few thoughts out. When I got to self-control I inwardly cringed. Not a great area for me. It seems I have a pattern that has vacillated between shopping a little too much (for another blog entry for sure) and for eating unhealthy food and too much of it. I have struggle off and on with this sin; as it is an area lacking in self- control, off and on all of my Christian life and before. My prayer was that the Lord would grant me a repentant heart that I could truly see this area of my life as sin and turn from it to Him.

Since July 1, I have given this matter in my life great thought-too much thought probably. I have asked the Lord why I do this to myself, what got me to where I am, and how in the world will I ever get back to where I need to be! The answers have come slowly. Honestly, there was an attempt at the South Beach diet and that lasted through breakfast, ha! I even thought of staying away from all sugar again for a period of time....I needed to reign myself in you know?
And there lies the problem. This self-control isn't about ME controlling myself, it's about me submitting to the Holy Spirit and crying out (Psalm 107) to my Maker to help me to be transformed to the image of His Son for His purpose and glory. (see 2 Corinthians 3:18) I have to continually remind myself that self-control is not about me, it's about saying no to the deeds of the flesh through the power of the Holy Spirit.

It's such a hard lesson. My flesh wants to be me centered and not God centered. It's screaming, "No, I've got this one. I have done it before, I know what to do. Just let me take another shot" But my loving Abba Father says, "No daughter, come to me in your weakness, for my power is made perfect in your weakness. For when you are weak, I am strong." 2 Cor 12:8
It's the Gospel, the good news that causes my spirit to rest! If it were left up to me, my life would be in complete shambles, but Jesus Christ has saved me from my sin!

So today, day #1 of my "do over" which is not yet over by the way; I have followed my little eating healthy plan because it helps me stay on track and be accountable for what/how I am eating. But I know that the only way that tomorrow will become day # 2 on my eating healthy plan is if I lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord (Provers 3-5 apmplified)
to sustain me when I have to say no to my flesh and yes to the Spirit. For me, it's a minute by minute confessing my weakness before the Lord and believing on Him for the strength to press on.

My hope is that through this process of learning self-control, I will learn how to live a more God centered life that will prepare me to live in His presence in preparation for an eternity with Him.

Until next time,

Missy

Getting the "messy" out of Missy

2009-08-18T17:55:00.000-07:00

"Messy Missy", I never liked that nickname. Who would? I was reminded of it a few weeks ago when asked my name at a local book store. I informed the gal that my full name was Melissa, but I go by Missy. She said, "Messy"? I said, "No! M-i-s-s-y". She replied that she thought that would be a strange name... Ya think?

I was just plain messy by nature. My poor sister and I shared a room for most of our growing up years. She was always tidy and I was not. I was "global". I liked all my stuff around me at once. I was also the queen of stuffing; you know when you were supposed to clean your room and instead you stuffed everything under the bed, in the drawers, and back behind clothes in the closet. Yep, that was me. And unlucky for me, my dad was a true clean freak. Can you say stress? I drove him crazy!

How does that translate into adulthood you might ask? Oh my! When Tim and I were first married we didn't have a washer or dryer in our apartment. We had to tote it all down to the laundry room. I say down because we lived on the third floor, have mercy. We used to store our dirty clothes in the hall closet (it was a small apartment). One day, the pile in the closet was taller than me! I remember Tim counted that there were 14 loads of laundry in all, for two people mind you! Sometimes, I just wouldn't notice things like the cereal bowl still on the table at 5:00 in the afternoon. I finally noticed when Tim would come home from work and firmly place it in the sink.

I really did desire to want to be organized and tidy. I also wanted to want to cook for our family. I would listen to my friends get all excited about a new recipe and wonder what in the world was wrong with me?!? A few years ago, I started praying about it and asked Tim to pray for me too. I didn't have to be the next Top Chef, I just wanted to give my family a nice meal. I also desired for our home to be a place of peace and refuge, not chaos. I asked the Lord to please change me heart and cause me to desire to cook and clean and I am not kidding around.

Tim and I were talking a few nights ago and we were discussing some recipe that I made. I stopped for a minute and could not believe what I was saying....number one, I followed a recipe (ha!) and number two I actually enjoyed it. I asked him if he remembered me asking him to pray for me that God would change my heart and cause me to desire to "tend" to my family in the way of good meals and an orderly home. He said yes he did and he had prayed for me. Lo and behold, our great God changed my heart! There is hope! Truly, I really didn't want to do those things before, I just knew that I needed to.

I have mentioned being in Titus in different posts because there is one verse in there that I am still chewing on 2-3 years later:
" Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home , to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands so no one will malign the word of God." Titus 2:4-5
It's the busy at home part that has really spoken to me over these few years and that has become my prayer, "Lord, please help me to be busy at home." One thing I've learned is that it's hard to be "busy at home" or a "homemaker" if you're not home a lot, but maybe that's for another post!

Now, let's get one thing straight. My home is not the picture of clean perfection! If you happened to stop by unannounced, you'd probably see shoes sitting out by the door, baby toys here and there in the living room, and currently a few boxes of my home school books in the dining room. If you took a stroll into our laundry room you'd see clean baskets of laundry and dirty baskets of laundry, but this time maybe only ten loads out! BUT, there is order and that's an improvement! Make no mistakes, I don't always desire to do the laundry or scrub a toilet. I am not a gourmet cook; my family will attest to that, but by His tender mercy, I now prepare a menu two weeks out.

I think I know why God has changed my heart (He is still working on me, it's a process). First, it's in accordance with His will. He desires for me to nurture my family, that's my role. Second, it brings glory to His name. Anyone who truly knows me, knows that this was not in my make up.

You might have your own house in order. If you do, please feel free to share a few tips with me....but please share them a little bit at a time lest I become overwhelmed! :)
Truly, you might be the queen of organization and a wonderful cook, but everyone has something. What is your something? There is hope. Ask God to change your heart to transform you to look more like Him for the praise of His glory.

Until next time,
Missy

My Daily Bread

2009-08-18T14:41:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 30:7-9

"Two things I ask of you , O Lord: do not refuse me before I die:

Keep falsehood and lies far from me: give me neither poverty nor riches,

but give me only my daily bread.

Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, "Who is the Lord?"

Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God."

I read this scripture more than two weeks ago and I am still struggling to put my thoughts into words. There's a deep groaning that takes place with in me as I recite the vs. "but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, "Who is the Lord?". The truth is, it seems the more possessions I own and desire to acquire, the distraction increases and satisfaction in Him decreases. It's a continuous tension in my life as a follower of Christ. Sometimes my hope is too closely yoked with the balance in my bank account, large or small.

I think of John Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" and how this life is a pilgrimage to everlasting life. Somehow, it seems that eternity with our Maker is just so far away I often forget that this life is not all there is. My hope as a believer isn't in what I can see, but rather in what I cannot. In reading through the book of Titus, listen to what Paul says about hope.

"Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness. A faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie promised before the beginning of time and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior." Titus 1:1-3 (emphasis mine)
I don't have all of this figured out. As I stated before, it's a continuous tension. Today, I will echo the prayer in Proverbs and the words of Paul.
I pray the knowledge of your truth in my life will indeed lead to godliness. May my faith and knowledge rest alone in the hope of eternal life. Today, please give me only my daily bread that I might not disown You and say, "Who is the Lord." And I might add; please help me to truly delight in You that everything else might be a dim comparison to Your glory for now and ever more.
Until next time,

Missy

From the pit

2009-08-05T20:23:00.001-07:00

I had a "from the pit" kind of day today. There was no crisis, it was just me and my own heart.
I just finished speaking with my husband about it and his response was spot on and it turns out that he even blogged about it today....um not my pit in case you're wondering.

After reading his blog it gave me a much needed new perspective.

Boasting in the Gospel from the echos of the pit,

Missy

Good, really good excuses for my absence in the blog world

2009-07-29T15:57:00.000-07:00

I think it's been two years since I have consistently blogged. Things have been hectic around here to say the least. I have some "excuses" for my absence and I am hoping my absence will be excused due to the circumstances.

{Excuse #1} I stepped down from my part time job at Apartment Life as an Area Director to focus fully on our family. It goes with all that the Lord has been teaching me from Titus 2, To be Busy at Home.

{Excuse #2}We also followed the Lord's leading and entered into the amazing world of homeschooling! Around the time that we felt the Lord calling me to come back home, we also knew we needed more space for our homeschooling adventure.

{Excuse #3} We moved June 2008 to a town home that has a lot more space than our little two bedroom apartment they we out grew. Things were quite exciting around the Linkletter household.

{Excuse #4}After moving into our new home two weeks prior, we found out that we were expecting baby number three, our sweet Samuel Jonathan!

Wowza I tell ya! So, now you see why I haven't blogged in some time.

Sammy was born on January 22ND and he is such a sweet addition to our family. Needless to say, things are quite busy in our neck of the woods. It is really something to start all over in the baby world ten and twelve years later. Excuse #...okay I will stop with the excuses, but you get the picture!

I am enjoying our summer and at the same time eagerly anticipating the start of a new school year with Justin and Sarah. We plan to start back after Labor Day the Lord willing.

All that to say, I think my absence has been excused and now I hope to be in the blog world on a more regular basis!

Until the next time,
Missy

The big comfy couch-the joys of bed rest

2009-04-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

It was December 26th, the day after Christmas. As others were out chasing down after Christmas bargains, I was sitting in the examination room of my midwife. With my feet dangling off the table and sweet "baby Linkletter" squirming all around inside of me, I watched as my mid-wife took my blood pressure. My mind wandered to all of the sales that I would be bargain hunting for in just a few quick minutes. She loosened the cuff on my arm and started the process over again. I watched her forehead crease as a frown filled her face. With just once sentence, "Beginning today, you will be on strict bed rest for the duration of your pregnancy." my little world changed and all of my plans flew out the window. It took a minute her words to register as I tried to form some kind of a response. She went on to say that my blood pressure was getting dangerously high and my kidney's were not performing as they ought. That was it-bed rest. I was 32 weeks along and still had 8 weeks to go. Justin and Sarah were with me in examination room and I prayed that they weren't paying too close attention to our conversation, I didn't want to worry them.

I calmly called Tim on my way home and informed him that bed rest it would be. I'll admit, for the first few hours, I wasn't too overly concerned because I was tired and I thought it might be nice to rest for a little while. After an hour of that, I was ready to get up and go...but there was none of that! The tears finally showed up when Tim got home and I realized I wasn't going to be able to make dinner for my family, do laundry, or organize another thing. No more nesting, just laying around on the couch or my bed. My heart went out to Justin and Sarah because their little world was rocked too.

And so the days continued, long, long days. I have known several people that have been on bed rest and I had I known then, what I know now, I would have done so much more for them. It is a very helpless feeling to depend on everyone else to do the simplest things for you. Sweet friend from our Sunday School Class brought meals several times a week and one person even cleaned our house-that was incredibly humbling but highly necessary, you should have seen our bath tubs....There were many nights when I was up at 3:00 a.m. and unable to sleep and is seemed at those times the Lord was so very near to me. His word was the only thing that brought me comfort. Tim was working two jobs and I missed him terribly. Every moment with him became even more precious and meaningful. He was exhausted as he had taken the bulk of household chores as well. He never complained.

Time slowly passed by and my blood pressure continued to rise. There was no going to the store, no driving, and no church for me. I couldn't sit for long periods of time (no more than about 5-10 minutes) or the blood pressure would creep up. It was laying on my side, mostly on the couch day after day. Each week at my check up appointments, I had to give a detailed report of exactly what I had eaten, how often I was resting (when was I not?), and what my readings were at home. Have I mentioned how swollen my feet were? They were quite the site! I had no ankles to speak of and my face was so puffy it almost hurt to smile!

I was finally at 36 weeks and being examined but again. After taking my blood pressure and looking over my lab reports, the mid-wife informed me that it was time to induce! I had such mixed emotions, I was afraid that our little one wouldn't be ready and at the same time so excited to finally get to hold our precious one. Thankfully, Tim was with me at this appointment. They gave me a little pill that would ripen my cervix that I was to take the following morning at 6:30 a.m. We drove home excitedly with great anticipation of the arrival of our third child.

Back in the Saddle Again.....

2008-03-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

For all of my sweet friends that have asked me when I plan on blogging again, well what do you know, I'm finally blogging away! And I am so glad to get to have this fun outlet once again!

I've been tagged by my good friend Katherine:http://www.thekramerchronicles.blogspot.com/

Here we go:

Ten years ago I: Just moved to Fort worth, TX and was busy chasing our year old son everywhere.

On my to do list today: Staff meeting, tidy up house, and Open House at the kids school.

What I would do if I suddenly became a billionaire:

1) Okay, how fun would it be to tithe on that!!!!So yes, we'd tithe and give to some of our favorite ministries.

2) Purchase a new home for my mom and Tim's mom.

3) Did I mention PRAY!

4) Enroll Tim at the seminary of his choice

5) Purchase a home

6) Would so love to give to a homeless ministry where they meet the physical needs of people

7) Take our entire family on an overseas mission trip

8) Purchase a "Sleep Number" bed

9) Enroll our crazy Jack Russel Terrier in doggy obedience school

10) Home school Justin and Sarah

11) Purchase a new car for Tim or restore his BMW

12) Take a very long vacation and visit all of our family

Three of my bad habits:

1) Sugar and Diet Coke

2) House keeping-lack there of

3) Procrastination

Five Jobs I've had:

1) Indian Fry Bread (first job)

2) Camp Counselor

3) Intern for Children's Ministry

4)Buyer for resale shop (LOVED THIS)

5) Area Director with Apartment Life (current)

5 Things people don't know about me:

1) I instructed people how to build houses at the age of 18 in Mexico- pretty scary, I doubt the houses are still standing!

2) I used to sing at my Uncle Frank's church when I was like 5 years old

3) I attended 3 High Schools and 2 Junior High Schools.

4) My voice NEVER CHANGED after I was about 6 years old......okay if you've spoken with me, then maybe your do know that! However, I had no idea that my voice was different than anyone else until one of my friends in the 6th grade informed me that I would "have more friends" if I didn't use a baby voice. I thought she was crazy......what baby voice? :)

5) I once got into a knock down drag out fight my freshman year of high school (That bully never bothered me again).

And I cried out!

2007-12-29T21:03:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you! I hope you've been able to enjoy some good time with your loved ones. Tim was able to take vacation time for the week of Christmas, so we've all been able to spend a lot of time with together. It's been for the most part very lovely.

The above pictures were taken on Christmas Eve. The one on the bottom was at our dinner table. I was serving a deli tray (crackers, cheese, and turkey slices, along with chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies, and fudge.) We had just gotten home from Christmas Eve service and sat down to share a meal before the kids got to open their presents from their Nana that came all the way from Arizona! Poor Justin had to get out of his chair so I could get the shot-I just couldn't resist capturing the ambiance of the moment. Doesn't the vacuum cleaner in the backround make it look homey? Too funny, but also reality around here.

Here's a little more reality for you. As I was preparing the fudge the night before, I decided to save a little time and go ahead and make a double batch in the sauce pan. Well-BAD idea, as soon as the fudge came to a rolling boil, it started rolling right out of the pan! And it was a STICKY mess. It went not only all over the stove top, but under the burners as well. I cried out for Tim to come and help me put it in something bigger and we ended up putting it in an iron skillet-funny now, not so funny at the time. It was at that point that my sweet little Sarah brought me her Chef's hat and apron-maybe she thought it would make me a better cook? And the fudge...at first it was a disappointment. It didn't get to boil long enough so it didn't "set". However, after an overnight in the fridge it tasted good enough to eat the entire pan in one sitting-thankfully I resisted the temptation to do so!

So, why am I sharing this "fudge moment" with you? Honestly, it's because I desire for my sharing to be truly authentic, not self deprecating-but genuine. After all, I did name my blog "And they cried out". That's pretty much the story of my life. I am such a mess with out my Savior! There's is NO way I can be the kind of wife, mom, daughter, sister, and friend that I desire to be without my God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. When I'm not crying out, it's pretty much bad news bears; it typically means I think I can do it on my own or am too preoccupied to realize things are going down hill fast.
Here's a question for you; why do we as women try to pretend like we can do everything perfectly and life is a cinch? I SO learn from my mistakes and others mistakes more than I do from easily attained successes.
One final thought; it's always a relief to me when I hear that about other women doing silly things like leaving a fitting room with their shirt on inside out ....okay, I haven't really heard of another women doing that, but it sure would make me feel better if I did!

In His unfailing love,

Missy

Finding Pleasure in God

2007-12-20T22:20:00.000-08:00

When I first met Tim, I immediately liked him. I was working in a Christian Bookstore at the time and here comes this young man with a whole lot of charisma. I remember just where I was when I first set eyes on him. I was behind the register and he was talking to a woman with two children. I was listening to their conversation and I remember him being SO funny. I thought they were married at first until I saw them say good bye. (Turns out she was a friend from church.) I was quite pleased to discover there was no ring on his finger and he was my next customer in line. We chit chatted and he absolutely cracked me up. And that was that. He left the store and I wasn't sure if I'd ever see him again. I went home that night and called one of my good girlfriends, Katie who at the time was living in another state. I specifically told her that I had no idea whether anything would ever come out of it, but that I had met the a really neat guy".

It was almost 1 MONTH later that he came in again. One day I was going out the door on a break and Tim was walking in. He said, "Hi...is it Misty? Are you leaving?" I said, "It's Missy and I was just coming in!" He believed me! He told me that he was looking for a Denise William CD and I of course helped him find it. We ended up talking for my entire break that day. He finally got up the courage to ask me for my phone number and I gave it to him. He called me later on that day and we went on our first date that weekend. (October 21, 1993 to be exact.)

And that first date was amazing! We went out to a little Italian restaurant and talked and talked about the Lord. I happened to bring my Bible on that first date-we still kind of laugh about that because in mid conversation I pulled it out of my purse and went to the verse that we were talking about.

During our courtship, Tim would write me the most beautiful and deep letters a girl could ever want. And, he still does from time to time. But those first letters showed me his passion for the Lord and I knew that I could spend the rest of my life with him.

Since we are going on 13 years of marriage, I can attest that there have been bumps along the way and a few serious pot holes as we both brought junk into the marriage. But the payoff from working through the trials has certainly been worth it. Not easy, but so very rewarding as it produced a great depth and commitment to one another. I have watched my young man of a husband who has been a devoted follower of Jesus Christ since practically before I was born, transform into a man who truly finds pleasure in God.

And the pleasure that He finds in God blesses me and our children more than I could have ever dreamed. I have watched God soften my husband in ways that woo me into deeper relationship with my Maker. I of course am not hinting that Tim is perfect. What I am saying that I am greatly rejoicing because my husband is leading our family to treasure Christ above all. His transformation is transforming us! That's exciting. A few years ago he read the book, "Don't Waste Your Life", by John Piper. http://www.desiringgod.com/ He hasn't been the same since. I plan to finally read it this new year.

So, my husband has led the way to finding his greatest pleasure in God. I have had moments of Him being pleasure, but I can't honestly say that I fully experienced Him as my greatest pleasure 24/7. And, for certain I can admit that my life does not exemplify treasuring Christ above all else. For if it did, I would not be enslaved to my own sinful behaviors. It's not pretty is it? That is my confession and I don't say it lightly. My heart hungers to find pleasure in Him all the days of my life. I can think of a lot of other things that I find pleasure in and more often. For that, I repent. And I am so grateful that God is faithful when I am not and His love for me as His daughter is unfailing.

Maybe you'd like to take this journey with me-treasuring Christ above all and knowing God as your greatest pleasure...if that's the case, stay tuned. I'm certain that the Lord is about to amaze us. I'll share my journey with you and I would love for you to share your journey with me.

A Hungry Heart

2007-12-13T08:41:00.000-08:00

This is a candid photo of my Sarah Grace reading her Bible. It was a Sunday afternoon and we had just arrived home from church. On the way, she was asking a lot of questions about the lesson that was taught in Sunday School as she had learned about Jacob and Esau- she was completely fascinated. As her Daddy was preparing lunch for us (sweet huh), she was reading the story aloud to him. We have been praying for her to have a heart that hungers after the Lord, so it was quite a blessing that she desired to dig deeper!

The Best Way to Love

2007-12-10T20:50:00.000-08:00

It wasn't too ago that I became keenly aware that I was getting in a habit of raising my voice towards Justin and Sarah. I don't mean screaming or yelling, I mean a raised voice with an unpleasant tone. It seemed the more I allowed myself to become agitated the easier it was for my voice to find the tone and pitch that is most undesirable to my children's ears.

This fact greatly disturbed me. You see, I made a pact with myself when I was a child just about their age that I would not yell at my kids. And although this tone does not quite qualify for the "yelling" that I had in mind back then, it is certainly a close cousin to it.

So, I cried out to the Lord. I poured my heart out to him and asked Him to show me the best way to love our children. My mind immediately went to the "Love Chapter", 1 Corinthians 13. The Spirit of God stirred my heart as I read the following verses:

1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

My heart instantly rejoiced for so many reasons;

Because He heard my cry and answered me with His Word, His Word that is living and active and sharper than any double edged sword.

Because as I read the words in the 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians, I undoubtedly know that the apostle Paul's description of love is precisely how God showed His love by sending His son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for a wretch like me.

Because God has not left me alone on this earth to become like Him, but has given me a deposit, His Holy Spirit that indwells me and His word to correct, rebuke, and train me in the way I should go!

In real time, how does this all play out? One day at a time. Honestly, I can't love my children as they need to be loved without the power of God working in me. I just love how the Lord teaches me! He certainly doesn't treat me as my sins deserve, but instead shows me great love and kindness.

So, back to real time; when I blow it with my kiddos, I ask them to forgive me. They amaze me because they are just so quick in mercy and forgive so easily. The other night was such an occasion. We were running late and Tim was still at work. I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off; wrapping gifts, baking, getting the kids ready, and trying to get myself ready all at the same time. And I really hate being late so it was adding to my angst. We were trying to head out to our Christmas party for our Sunday school class. I quickly stopped off at a fast food place to grab the kids a deliciously healthy dinner and then had to make a quick stop by the ATM. On the way to the ATM my sweet Sarah spilled her drink all the way down her pants. I was SO not happy. She started crying because she was soaked. I informed her that no, we would not be turning around to go home. Sweet huh-We pulled up to a gas station, I quickly got in the trunk and luckily had an extra pair of pants for her to put on. (I know, I was REALLY lucky that I still had the "give away" clothes in the trunk.) Finally, Sarah had dry clothes. I had my cash. and we were once again in route to the church. I apologized to Sarah for my lack of patience and told her that I just needed to take a chill pill. She replied, "Wow, where do you get those?" I said, "Jesus honey. You go to Jesus."

So, the best way to love? For me, it's learning the 1 Corinthians 13 love one day at a time with hands on experience.

My Soul Finds Rest

2007-12-07T07:14:00.001-08:00

Psalm 62

My soul finds rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from Him. (vs. 1)

He alone is my rock and my salvation;
He is my fortress, I will never be shaken. (vs. 2)

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him. (vs. 5)

He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress , I will not be shaken. (vs. 6)

My salvation and my honor depend on God;
He is my mighty rock, my refuge. (vs. 7)

O Lord,
Today my soul finds rest in You alone. You are my rock and my salvation my fortress in whom I run.
Because of You, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and honor depend on You O God, for you are my mighty rock and my refuge.
Without You O Lord, I would be like the waves of the sea, being tossed here and there by the cares of this world. But You have rescued me my rock. You have given me a firm foundation.
Because of You, I will not be shaken.
Today, my hope comes from You my God, for my soul finds rest in You alone.

My New Name

2007-12-03T20:32:00.001-08:00

It finally happened. It shouldn't have been a surprise. I received a warning a few days ago that my name was about to change. My new name? Mom. That's right, no longer am I "Mommy" to my oldest child, I am now being referred to as "Mom". It occurred to our son a few days ago that is now embarrassing to refer to me as Mommy in front of his peers. He let me know that around his friends that He will address me as plain Mom.

I was thinking to the time in my own childhood that I stopped addressing my own Mother as Mommy. I too made a conscious decision that I "should" call her "Mom". I think I bounced it off of her and said something like-"Is it okay if I call you Mom?" She replied, "Sure, if that's what you want to do." I can't say that my initial reply was as gracious to my boy. I think I said, "Really? You really want to stop calling me Mommy?" I quickly recovered and patted him on the shoulder and assured him that it was no big deal. I lied! It's a HUGE deal! That means he's growing up and gaining independence and soon he'll go to college! Well, the college part is in like 7 years or so.

As I said, today it happened. One of his friends came to the door to see if he could play. He yelled with the front door open, "Mom, can I play outside?". I quickly responded sure, put your coat on etc, but inside I realized that today we turned a page.

Friday Family Night

2007-12-01T23:56:00.000-08:00

With my husband being a Travel Agent, September 11th effected our family economics. So much so, it was necessary for me to go back into the workforce and take a full time job. As a result, we were extremely tired and very busy. Tim and I felt like we really needed to connect with our kid's and Friday Night Family Night was born! Although I no longer work full time, Family Night has stuck! If it gets too crazy around our home and Family Night gets looked over, we are sure to hear about it!

Our Family Night varies depending on the circumstance; it can range anywhere from renting a movie to creating a play. Recently we had 15 minutes to run into our rooms, (parents included) put together a costume, and quickly come up with a song to perform for the rest of the family. I believe Tim ended up adorned in "bling" and rapped "Zacheus was a wee little man" while I provided back up. The kids too made up their own song and put together hilarious costumes. We all laughed so hard, we'll never forget it!
On some Family Nights, we sit around the table and color pictures and share the story behind the picture. If we are all pretty mellow, we might sit around the living room and just talk. I remember one night that one of our sweet ones was really having a tough time, it was the perfect opportunity for them to share (with out any rush) what was on their heart and have a good cry. We surrounded that sweet precious one and prayed over them.

Last night, we had a ball. The night before, the kids and I went to Hobby Lobby and chose a few ornaments for each of us to paint. For Family night, we covered our table with newspaper and wax paper. Each person received a paper plate to have their own pallet of paint colors. The creating began! It was a really relaxed time of listening to Christmas music, painting, laughing, and just talking. Several masterpieces were created and the two youngest artists are very proud of their work.

I will admit, sometimes our Family Night's don't always go like we want them to. One of us might be really cranky or the kids might just be too rambunctious. In all honesty there's never a "perfect" day with a "perfect" family experience. To us, the three the most important ingredients to a good Family Night is fun, love, and just plain connecting with our kiddos.

Here are a few pictures of our masterpieces:

Thanksgiving in Arizona

2007-12-01T22:00:00.000-08:00

For the last few years, it has become a tradition to load up the car and make the 18 hour drive home to Phoenix, Arizona. Arizona is pretty special to Tim and I as most of our family lives there, we met in Phoenix, and Justin was born in Paradise Valley. The drive is exhausting, but we hope the kids will have fond memories of our time together-we've got a 50-50 chance on that one!

Happy belated Thanksgiving to you!

His Love Endures Forever

2007-11-16T22:01:00.000-08:00

To Him alone who does great wonders.

His love endures forever

Give thanks to the Lord of lords

His loves endures forever.

Who by His understanding made the heavens

His love endures forever

Give thanks to the God of heaven

His love endures forever

Psalm 136:3-5,26

What a day!

2007-11-14T20:41:00.001-08:00

It was quite the special day today. I turned 35 years old and I can't believe it! How in the world can I be 35? I awoke this morning to a round of Happy Birthday from my beloved groom Tim and my two sweet ones, Justin and Sarah. To open my eyes to this joyous chorus and breakfast in bed was quite the start to a wonderful day! We have a tradition in our family to read our cards and open our gifts in the morning-it's delightful. They were so thoughtful. they each spent time making a card and "put their hearts on paper". They gave me the cutest green purse-it's adorable, and they also got me a big kiss full of chocolates. Simply delicious. Tim took the day off of work and spent the entire day with me. We took the kiddos to school and literally had the whole day to ourselves. Isn't it amazing to have a conversation without absolutely ONE interruption? We commented several times today how amazing it is to complete a sentence. With that said, we spent a lot of the day in rich conversation. We went shopping and pooled both of our birthday money together (Tim has a birthday in a week and a half) and bought a new digital camera. One of the kids who shall remain nameless dropped ours a while back and its just never been the same. So, we went from store to store because of course I had to get the best price and the best quality that our budget would allow! I can say that we are both quite pleased with the result as you can see from the above pictures. We had a nice leisurely lunch at Chipolte'

and came back home for a little R&R before going to pick up the kids from school.
It was a really lovely day~
Tim made my favorite salad for dinner at my request and then we watched the movie "Amazing Grace". From what I saw of the movie, it was really well made. In the middle, another one of our sweet ones who shall remain nameless suddenly remembered that they had spelling homework that needed to be put in ABC order. (35 words no less!) Just between you and me, I really DISLIKE ABC order!

When we finally went to tuck the kids in bed, we discovered that a land mine had blown up in their bedroom. Well, I am exaggerating a bit, but I tell you, it was a MESS! I wish I could say that I was a sweet as my day was, but that was not the case. Sarah ended up in tears and Justin started singing our family theme song, "I Cry Out"-I'm not kidding. I usually sing that song myself when I'm at my whits end and am about to lose it, but he beat me to the punch. I actually said, "Justin, that's really not helping unless you really mean it". He assured me that he meant every word. Who can blame him, it was after 8:30. The evening did end on a positive note with sweet goodnight kisses and prayers at their bedside. Tim and I finished watching Amazing Grace and I most likely will go back and watch it again.

It really was a lovely day today. I thank God that I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband, sweet children, good friends, and a Mom, brother, and sister who really do love me-quirks and all.

Most of all, I am so thankful that God saw fit to create me to love and worship Him. I rejoice that He drew me to Himself at such a tender age of 15 years old. I thank Him for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; not one hair is upon my head that He has not numbered, and not one of my days have come to be without His knowledge. I pray that the next 35 years of my life-God willing-will exude joyous songs of praise for His unfailing love, proclamations of His faithfulness, and lips full of testimony of His grace and goodness.

And, with out a doubt-I am certain that I am blessed.

Tuesday's Trip Down Memory Lane "Late to School"

2007-11-13T19:42:00.000-08:00

While doing laundry today, I had a random memory fly across my mind that gave me a good chuckle!

The year was 1987. At that time, my older sister Dawn and I took the city bus to high school every day.

{Now, in order for you to fully appreciate this story, you have to know a little bit about our personalities. We are very different from each other. I have always erred on the cautious side, and she-has not}

It was a typical morning; the bus pulled up and Dawn and I stepped aboard and found our seats. As we were riding along, I happened to take notice of a gentlemen sitting behind the bus drivers seat. I instantly became alarmed when I noticed the shot gun that he was holding in his arms. I also observed him occasionally leaning forward and speaking quietly to the driver. In my mind, we were toast! Without a doubt, I just knew we were being "bus jacked". I nudged my sister in the side and very quietly and firmly informed her that the man in the front of the bus had a gun and that we were going to pull the cord and we were going to get off that bus RIGHT AWAY! I believe her response was something like LOUD laughter and a abrupt "shut up".

I continued to stare at the man while my making my emergency escape plan. I elbowed my sister again and insisted, "We must get off this bus immediately or we are going to die!" This went on for another five minutes as we bickered back and forth.

At this point, our stop was another 4 to 5 miles down the road, but I didn't care. I finally informed her that if she didn't pull the cord to get off the bus, I would. I can't remember who finally pulled it-most likely it was me. The ding sounded (like heavenly bells to my ears) and the bus began to slow down. It pulled over and I began my hasty exit as my sister begrudgingly followed suit. I specifically remember going out the back door of that bus and breathing the fresh air of freedom.

At the moment, it didn't matter that we were a good 2-3 miles from our regular bus stop, I was just so relieved that we weren't still on that "hi-jacked" bus. Well, relieved that is until I saw who got out the front door-it was the man with the shot gun! No lie, apparently I rang the bell at exactly his stop! I immediately started running across the street into a residential neighborhood. I was zigging and zagging like there was no tomorrow. Finally, after a block or two of huffing and puffing, the gun carrying man was no where to be seen. The only thing that either of us could figure was that he apparently lived in the neighborhood.

After walking an extra 30 minutes to school or so, Dawn finally stopped yelling and laughing at me.

We were late to school that day.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

2007-11-06T15:07:00.001-08:00

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths".

I have known Proverbs 3:5-6 for a good number of years. I have memorized it, sang songs to it, and lately, I have been meditating upon it. Two particular ideas in the verse have really ignited my interest;

Trust in the Lord with all your heart: I think I might ponder this for the rest of my life. What does it look like to fully trust Him with all of my heart? To me, it means that I let go of the neat and tidy compartmentalized life where I choose to obey in some instances and pretend that I don't know that I am disobeying in others. It is the stepping on your toe's kind of obedience; what goes into my mind, what I watch, what I read, what I listen to, what I eat. To quote my husband Tim, "Its putting everything on the table" and allowing God access to all areas of my heart. This is most certainly a day by day, minute by minute transformational process. ( Might I add that this is only done by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit and abiding in Him- 1Corinthians 6:20, John 15)

In all your ways acknowledge Him: To me, it's proclaiming what He already knows, He's on the Throne. He is Creator God and I am His creation. He's my Potter and I am His clay. Acknowledging that He's sovereign God and that not one circumstance that takes place in my life or this world is a surprise to Him. He is in all things, above all things, He is God. There was no other before Him and no other after Him. This "acknowledging" brings me to a place of surrender.

Is there anything better than His Word?....I think not!

Lilies of the Field~Do Not Worry

2007-11-06T11:08:00.000-08:00

Matthew 6:25-33

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barn, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about your clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed line one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown in the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day enough trouble of its own."

To Be Busy at Home

2007-11-04T12:44:00.000-08:00

Things have been entirely too busy around here! October was completely over scheduled. And with mostly good things; visiting family, work related events, trainings, PTA, kids activities, church activities, etc. I don't know about you, but I get really cranky when I over crowd my schedule! Not only do I get cranky, but my whole household gets turned upside down. Laundry piles up, (not hard to do at our home), things get terribly disorganized, and let's not even talk about the bathrooms! And when the house is a mess, frankly, I don't want to be here and no one else does either.

Recently, I took a day off; I declared a "mental health" day, I forwarded my emails, my voice mail, and made a point to "check out". I was praying and crying out to the Lord about my messes; the mess at home and the mess that I was feeling on the inside. I asked Him what I should do about several situations-one being Sarah who was having a tough time. I said, "Lord, how can I pray for her? What can I pray to help her?" Titus 2:3-5 popped into my mind and it reads like this:
"Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, to be busy at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled." (Emphasis mine)

"To be busy at home", boy that phrase hit me right between the eyes. Funny, when the scripture popped into my mind, I thought it was going to say something like "children, obey your parents", but really it was Missy-be busy at home! That took a couple of minutes to compute. A few thoughts ran through my mind like, "How will that help Sarah?" and "That isn't very fun...." But, I asked! So, right there I asked the Lord to help me to be busy at home. And since, I have been asking the Lord daily to give me a heart to be busy at home. For me, it is really so tempting not to be busy at home. There a fifty-million errands to run, stores to be shopped for all of those spectacular bargains, friends to do coffee with , parks to be walked at, and of course work to be accomplished.

But, because the Word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double edged sword; piercing to the division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and discerning thoughts and intentions of the heart {Hebrews 4:12}, I was certain and am even more convinced today that what needs to be continually changing is the attitude of my heart. To go deeper; for me to be busy at home equates to being still. It's about making our home a peaceful refuge for the family and all that enter. When I am busy at home, I am more likely to dig deep into the Word and care about the things that matter to God. When I am running around like a maniac, I am being enticed by this world. There is an ever so subtle shift that happens in my spirit and I find myself chasing after things that don't really matter. It reminds me a lot of 1 John 2:15-17:

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father in not in him. For all that is in the world-the desires of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and pride in possessions-is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. "

In everyday life, it might look like saying no to the urges that comes over me, such as checking out my favorite store when I don't have a need to be there, stopping myself from surfing mindlessly on the Internet, having lunches back to back days with girlfriends, and even turning OFF the media with in the household for extended periods of time. And it saying yes to allow for God ordained interruptions, taking time to sit and be still, and rejoicing that I am learning to treasure Christ all the while folding my 5th load of laundry for the day.

Today, I am crying out to the Lord to change my heart and allow my heart to reflect His priorit ies and I pray that He will order each of my days. My prayer is that at end of every day, I will lay my head upon my pillow and know that I love and treasure Jesus Christ more at that moment than when I awoke in the morning. To the praise of His glorious grace!