Baby #3 is due September 24! We could not be more thrilled! Thank you, Lord, for this precious gift!
"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." ~Isaiah 40:31~
30 March, 2013
28 March, 2013
A Touchy Subject
I usually tend to stay away from politics in this blog, and in life in general. I find that most often, people don't actually want to hear my opinions, they just want to try to convince me that I'm wrong.
However, there is an issue I am especially passionate about. I have debated writing this post for a few days. I have stayed away from Facebook much of this week, because of all the controversy over marriage equality. People speak of loving our brothers and sisters by legalizing gay marriage, but so many of the posts and conversations I read are full of nothing but HATE. Angry disputes over whether or not gay marriage should be legalized. Hatred from both Christians and non-Christians alike.
I am going to share my thoughts on what God's Word says about homosexuality. Let me be clear: I absolutely do not hate or even dislike anyone who is gay or who supports gay marriage. I have many friends, family and acquaintances who are/do. On this issue, we simply agree to disagree. They know my stance. I also do NOT think anyone else's sin is greater than my own. I am not writing this post to appear "pious."
Rick Warren says, "Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone's lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means that you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don't have to compromise convictions to be compassionate."
First of all, the Bible is God's true, perfect & lasting Word. It (or its meaning) does not "change with the times." "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever." -Isaiah 40:8 "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." -1 Peter 1:23 "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar." -Proverbs 30:5-6
God created man and woman to be united together. "So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, 'This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man.' That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh." Nowhere in the Bible does is say that God created man for man, or a woman for woman.
God condemns homosexuality as a sin numerous times in the Scriptures. "'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.'" -Leviticus 18:22 "In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error." -Romans 1:27 "'We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers - and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.'" -1 Timothy 1:8-11
There you have it. The Scriptures state very clearly where God stands on this subject. We, as Christians, need to be bold in speaking the truth. Many people believe that love=tolerance. I do not find this to be true. I can absolutely love my gay neighbor by sharing and speaking Biblical truths to him or her. This does not mean I have to be tolerant of his/her behavior. I will not conform to our society's "go along and get along" mentality. Do I want to be an example of God's perfect love? Most definitely. And I think sharing the truths his Word has for us is the way for me to accomplish that.
However, there is an issue I am especially passionate about. I have debated writing this post for a few days. I have stayed away from Facebook much of this week, because of all the controversy over marriage equality. People speak of loving our brothers and sisters by legalizing gay marriage, but so many of the posts and conversations I read are full of nothing but HATE. Angry disputes over whether or not gay marriage should be legalized. Hatred from both Christians and non-Christians alike.
I am going to share my thoughts on what God's Word says about homosexuality. Let me be clear: I absolutely do not hate or even dislike anyone who is gay or who supports gay marriage. I have many friends, family and acquaintances who are/do. On this issue, we simply agree to disagree. They know my stance. I also do NOT think anyone else's sin is greater than my own. I am not writing this post to appear "pious."
Rick Warren says, "Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone's lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means that you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don't have to compromise convictions to be compassionate."
First of all, the Bible is God's true, perfect & lasting Word. It (or its meaning) does not "change with the times." "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever." -Isaiah 40:8 "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." -1 Peter 1:23 "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar." -Proverbs 30:5-6
God created man and woman to be united together. "So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, 'This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man.' That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh." Nowhere in the Bible does is say that God created man for man, or a woman for woman.
God condemns homosexuality as a sin numerous times in the Scriptures. "'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.'" -Leviticus 18:22 "In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error." -Romans 1:27 "'We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers - and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.'" -1 Timothy 1:8-11
There you have it. The Scriptures state very clearly where God stands on this subject. We, as Christians, need to be bold in speaking the truth. Many people believe that love=tolerance. I do not find this to be true. I can absolutely love my gay neighbor by sharing and speaking Biblical truths to him or her. This does not mean I have to be tolerant of his/her behavior. I will not conform to our society's "go along and get along" mentality. Do I want to be an example of God's perfect love? Most definitely. And I think sharing the truths his Word has for us is the way for me to accomplish that.
26 March, 2013
25 March, 2013
Chicago Weekend
This past weekend we headed to Chicago for an overnight trip with some good friends. NO KIDS! We had a wonderful time!
Lunch at Harry Caray's - YUM!
The first day, after lunch, Brandi & I shop, shop, SHOPPED while the boys went on the Untouchables Tour & to a movie. FINALLY found me a new purse that I LOVE!
We ended our day with a delicious dinner at House of Blues!
Poor hubby has Squinty Eye Syndrome whenever a camera flashes, LOL.
The next day we headed out for some "touristy" activities. We visited the Willis Tower.
The sun was so bright you can't see anything behind us!
We went to Millenium Park to get some pictures at "The Bean."
Then, to top off a terrific weekend, we went to Giordano's for lunch. Mike has been talking about this for weeks...it was his absolute favorite pizza place when he lived in Chicago.
And this was all that was left!
We had such a great weekend! Thanks, Grandpa & Grandma & Auntie Sara for baby-sitting! Can't wait to plan our trip for next year!
21 March, 2013
No More Perfect Moms
This past weekend, some girlfriends and I attended the Hearts at Home conference in Normal, IL. This was my 3rd time attending. It is always a wonderful day of fellowship, sharing and rejuvenating. The speakers this year were wonderful. I attended 4 sessions: Raising Boys Ages 2-22, Are You Spiritually Fit?, The Magic of Parenting Preschoolers & When You Want to Scream. All were wonderful - oh, and did I mention - we got to see Candace Cameron Bure?! Yup, DJ from Full House! And boy, does she have an amazing testimony!
The focus of the conference this year was No More Perfect Moms. We all, whether consciously or not, strive for perfection. We want our house to look perfect. Our kids to look (and act) perfect. We expect ourselves to look and dress like So-and-So from That TV Show or That Magazine. We expect our husbands to be like Ward Cleaver. We want what the neighbors have. We want our kids to have what the neighbors' kids have. And so on and so forth. You get the picture.
Why do we place so many unrealistic expectations on ourselves? Have you ever sat back and thought, "If I could just LET GO of some of these things, I would enjoy my life, my husband, my children, so much more!"
Jill Savage, the founder of Hearts at Home (and one of the most REAL women I have ever met!), said something that really stuck with me. She said, "Don't compare your insides to someone else's outsides." I am so very guilty of this! It's easy for me to look at another woman and think, "Wow. She has it all together. If only I could be so thin, so pretty, dress so nicely. If only my kids were always clean like hers, always well-behaved. If only my house was as clean as hers always looks in the pictures she posts on Facebook and her blog! If only I were as creative and crafty as she is!" etc. But, you know what? I have no clue what that mom has going on on the inside. Maybe a family member is battling a serious illness. Maybe her family is having financial troubles. Maybe she and her husband are struggling in their marriage. Maybe her "well-behaved" child just threw a huge tantrum before they left the house. Maybe her teenager just got suspended from school. I am also guilty of judging that mom at WalMart who is in her PJ's, hair in a messy bun, kids running wild in the aisles. "Couldn't she TRY to control her children? Or at least put on a pair of jeans before leaving the house?" But, again, I do not know her situation! Maybe she is sick and there were literally no more groceries in her refrigerator. Maybe she was up all night with a screaming baby. What if we all gave ourselves, our husbands, children and other moms, a little grace? Permission to be our perfectly imperfect selves!
So, I am making a promise to you, myself, my husband and children: I promise to let us all be imperfect! And to try to extend grace in situations when the Perfection Infection rears its ugly head.
The keynote speakers at Hearts at Home each shared their "perfect" family photos and their imperfect, real ones.
This is one of my favorite photos of me and the boys:
Pretty close to perfect, right? ;-)
But did you know that most of the time, in order to get a photo like that, it takes maybe 10, 20, 30 shots like THIS? Haha.
I am not normally long-winded, so I apologize for the wordy post. But this is something that has really been on my heart, and I just had to share. Let's all embrace our imperfections and ask God to help us extend grace and love in every situation!
Have a wonderful weekend, friends! Mike and I are headed to Chicago overnight tomorrow with some friends...so excited! :-)
Love and blessings,
Krys
20 March, 2013
Picasso
These two little boys have WAY more energy than they know what to do with, and since it looks like we won't be able to play outside for at least another week, we have been trying to come up with creative outlets that don't include running around in circles and screaming like banshees.
Joshua has an art kit that he loves, but I have never been brave enough to let him try painting with watercolors.
He did a great job and kept the paint on the paper (well, some got on the tablecloth...but it's disposable! :-)
He was having so much fun!
Masterpieces in this momma's eyes!
I am guessing he will probably ask me to paint again when he gets up from his nap. Have a wonderful Wednesday, friends!
19 March, 2013
Pie Chart
Ugh. Seriously. Have I mentioned that I am SICK of winter?! LOL. And from the looks of it, spring won't be arriving until April...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)