The Aroma of Christ

Do you smell that? It's a very distinct scent. I breathe it in, and right away I know that I can sit and relax.

The conversations are usually lite, and no need to get deep... or is there a need?

Yes, I'm sitting in the salon cutting my hair off. I return to get some color.

It was in that second visit that I was told something that upset me.  "I would have never thought you to be the person you are. You seemed to be someone that would be caught dancing on tables, but after getting to know you, you really love God." (Paraphrasing for memory sake)

Do get me wrong would that have upset me a year ago, or even nine months ago? I'll be honest, probably not. At least after getting to know me she knew what I stood for... right?

For most, this would be a compliment because after discussion I have a stance, but what about the times that discussion isn't an option?

What is your aroma?

I want to be drowned in HIS smell. I want my very presence to pour out HIS goodness. I want HIS glory to shine through my being. I am not there, but each day grows with me soaking in HIS truth into my brokenness.

You see it is not enough to just have someone know who you are after a talk, but that the moment you walk into a place it is sensed that you are different. Even if they can't put their finger on that, they KNOW she has something I want.

How do I get it?

What is it?



Examine your aroma.

The opening of your eyes to see yourself with accuracy is 

one of the long-term projects of transforming grace.

-Paul Tripp

What do you see? 

What do you smell?

I pray that this long-term project creates a woman after God's own image.  As Paul wrote to the believers in Thessalonica, 

²³Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. 

Lord, sanctify my being that I may be completely whole. May I be faithful and blameless. Build me up so that my aroma surrounds those around me that they know I live only for YOU.   

A sign you're growing in grace: You're learning to invest your vapor-like existence in things that will last forever.

-Scotty Smith

 

Our Preparation for Resurrection Sunday

Our Christian faith is based on this day. Resurrection Sunday is a day that we bring into light for not just a day, but for many as we prepped our family for this day. Before the month of April Luk and I walked through the life of Jesus. His birth, his boyhood, his life with the disciples, and so forth. Then as there were only a mere 17 days left until Resurrection Sunday we began the An Easter Devotional by Ann Voskamp.

The cross carried by Christ to wash His blood over our sins, the grace and love...

His death

His Burial

He LIVES!

Everyday adding our photos to the cross, everyday "We pause to listen to the word..." We linger on this, and we allow it to marinate in us, and flavor our lives. We then on Friday "Tell the Easter Story with a Playdough Mountain" taking the time to form the mountain,

making the cross, creating the scene

it is a reason to stop and meditate on HIS story... on OUR story.

He sets in the tomb that night. DEAD!

He is ALIVE come Sunday!

The beauty of the cross is what it leads to HIS overcoming of death, HIS salvation over us...

Luk again teaches as we do this activity, make the crown of thorns because that's what they made Him wear. We have to remember what we do to Him everyday that we ignore His word and choose our way over His. The crown gets pushed further in, the nails pull Him even more, and His blood STILL sheds for us. Resurrection Sunday more important than Christmas and His birth because without His death, we will have lost it all.

In Christ alone...

It's not just any other day

"The cross is not a mere event in history; it's a way of life! Take up your cross DAILY, Jesus said!"

"Betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter, abandoned by the eleven, forsaken by God. Darkness, you get one hour. Then you die." 

-John Piper

The cross, this beautiful woven story, and the only thing I can compare it to is the way God has woven us in our mother's wombs to be in HIS image. I can't escape that truth. 

HIS image.

HIS story.

 HIS truth.

 I sit in awe. I am broken. I am a broken SINNER THAT DESERVES HELL!!! I have so many emotions today! I WANT TO SCREAM!!! I AM SO FULL OF FRUSTRATION!!! 

People's lives that are separated from God's ignoring this day. CHRISTIANS NOT HOLDING IT SACRED IN THEIR HEARTS! People skipping work, school, or whatever and just doing nothing, but have another day off. ARGH!!! 

Everyday that I don't spend time in the word, every sinful thought in mind, and every time I think I know what's best for my life... I am disgusted with myself.

sad... 

lower than scum... 

I deserve hell.

So, I sit here in tears, speechless... ask why? Teach my boys that today, oh it's not just any other day, but it's the day that innocent blood was shed, a cross was raised, and soon a tomb that was once filled will be vacant. 

The tomb

As I teach them, they teach me. A cave of brown and green, no. As Luk sees it as a rainbow for God's promise to Noah and us and a red door because "Jesus was bleeding on the cross."  Show it, see it, let it engulf you. To have the child-like mind is to see the beauty in it.

 Our Jesus

As I take out the white, no. As I take out the purple, no. Yellow! Luk shares, "Jesus is the light!" Speechless... the beauty of his mind, his understanding.

The Scene

Purple: Mary Magdelene

Pink: Mary, his mother

Blue: disciple

Orange: disciple

Green: Roman Guard

He is sure of how he wants it. 

God is sure of how he wants HIS story.

He has it all working for HIS divine plan. 

I am broken. I am a broken sinner that deserves hell. Yet, He came for me. He bleed for me. I am washed in His blood covered and protected from the wrath of God because I know HIS truth. I accept it. I want it. He gave and continues to give me that drive. Through glorifying His Father I am cleansed.

I am HIS. 

I have been REDEEMED!

Generation iY

I subscribe to iMOM. This is the female version of All Pro Dad, which are branches of Tony Dungy's Family First. All this to say that there was an article written by Dr. Tim Elmore called Three Lies That Can Keep Your Child Stuck in Adolescence. Being with Reson and dealing with the youth of today and raising two boys of my own I wasn't too sure about some of things he wrote. 

Here are the three lies:

Lie #1: "You Can Be Anything You Want to Be."

Lie #2: "It's Your Choice."

Lie #3: "You Are Special."

If you want to read the explanations that he states click on the link above, but I had some things that I wanted to say about it. I get stereotyped because I am a young mom. I married right out of high school, which in today's mindset means you WILL get divorced. Thankfully, we have been married going on 8 years and been together for over eleven years. So, I'm not a fan of stereotypes. Now, I have the your a young mom, which has been turned into you shouldn't be your kids' friend. There is a simple truth to all this that gets over looked and that is, I follow the main handbook on my ideas of marriage and parenting, the Bible. So, it doesn't matter my age. I seek truth. 

I post that because it is important to see my standard, my foundation for my train of thought with this article. Did I like it? Yes and No. I thought it was too cut and dry. 

The fact is we could continue this article with anything can be lie and truth with these ideas. 

Lie #1: The idea behind this argument is that not everyone should try out for American Idol because they don't have the gift of signing.  If I look at it like that yes, but this is a bit of stretch. Just because a person is not a strong enough to be America's Idol (which I wouldn't want to be) doesn't mean that they can't be a vital part of a choir as a support branch. I know that there are parents that do flat out lie and say you sing as beautiful as Celine Dion, and yes that can be a lie. However, I don't want my children to think that they don't have a singing voice and that stops them from worshiping God with song. If our goal in life is to live the "American Dream" then I would say, "Your voice is just plain bad, let's look at an alternative." Now, if my goal in life is the sole (soul) purpose of praising God then sing away! 

Lie #2: I do believe that there is no gray area! I would say this is the lie I agree with most. There is a way to give choice and not be giving away your parental stance. I see this one the most working as a Youth Pastor's wife. I want to see my boy/girlfriend alone in my room, okay. I want to talk with them on the phone until all hours of the night. Where are the boundaries? I use cell phones as a prime example because not only with Reson being a Youth Pastor, but he works for a cell phone company. There are elementary school students with full access cell phones. What! They have all the text messaging, camera, website usage they want. I don't understand it. As Christians, we are not to be stumbling blocks to others, this should be for our children as well. How do we protect our child from pornography or sexual content when we allow full access to it everywhere they go? This would also go hand-in-hand with kids and the teaching of modesty. Parents, don't dress your girls like tramps is a great article from a non-Christian perspective. If looking at not so "serious" topics, there are boundaries still to be made. For example, Breakfast time, I let the boys make a choices, most of the time. Cereal, eggs, or toast with jelly. Lunch time, there is a choice of turkey, ham, or pb&j sandwiches. Dinner time = NO CHOICE! "But we must also help them learn the truth that not everything is open to discussion or debate. Sometimes there really is no choice, and kids will be better prepared for adult life if they understand this."

But as Granderson writes in the CNN article, "Friends bow to peer pressure. Parents say, "No, and that's the end of it." 

Lie #3: I would tell you to look at my response to the first one for my idea behind this one. My kids are special! Now, I wouldn't want them to become egotistical, but God knit them in my womb, He knows the number of hairs on their little heads. It designed them in HIS image, oh they are special! There are different definitions for special as far as Webster is concerned: unusual or better, esteemed, reserved... Again, what is the personal goal. If you are living the "American Dream" then this fits you for this article, but for me it doesn't. If raising my children as special because they are in the image of God that makes them humble, wise, men of truth, honor, above reproach, and the list goes on. No my children are not better (or more special) than our beautiful Compassion children, no they are all just as special because they are God's children!

I think Dr. Elmore meant well, but I do again think the article is too cut and dry. He does give clarity in his responses to people in the post, but I think it would have suited better to say these things in the article. I'm curious as to where his approach goes with his book, "Generation iY: Our Last Chance to Save Their Future" Here are some of his rebuttals to the commentators.

"My hope in writing this article was to challenge parents to examine the underlying messages in these commonly-used phrases. I’m not suggesting that most parents intentionally mislead to their children. I’m just pointing out that these seemingly helpful phrases can turn into harmful statements when not balanced with the hard work of helping children develop an accurate picture of reality that exists outside the home.

As you say, we really do have a responsibility to be realistic with our children. I just want to challenge parents to balance encouragement with guidance. Children desperately need to discover their unique abilities that will ultimately allow them to reach their greatest potential."

"I too hope that parents who are challenged by this excerpt will take time to read the rest of the book. My end goal is not just to point out the challenges that this generation faces but to help us all work together towards solutions that will help them reach their potential. I truly believe that this generation has the potential to be the greatest generation but it will take a concentrated effort by all of us as parents, educators and leaders to guide them in overcoming the obstacles."

"I understand the strong reaction to calling these statements lies. I really don’t believe that most parents set out to intentionally mislead their children.

However, I do believe these seemingly helpful phrases can turn into harmful statements if not balanced with a clear picture of the real world kids face when they leave home. Unfortunately, it’s easy for most parents to give encouragement; yet sometimes hard to do the work of really helping children understand the reality of the world we live in. Leading our kids to this understanding is a process that must be pursued, consistently and intentionally, over time.

I agree with you that balance is the real key. All of us recognize the harmful effects of a child who is raised in an environment with nothing but discouragement. I’m just pointing out that a steady diet of nothing but affirmation can be just as debilitating in the long run if the child doesn’t mature and learn to handle adversity."

I would think that with reading his responses that we agree on the topic at hand, but again the approach to these "lies" are not lies, but truths that need to be looked at in a different mind set. Thanks my side and I'm stickin' to it. =D

 

For Kate (Part Two)

Well, it's done. 11 inches gone and it is being sent to Locks of Love tomorrow. Luk said he wants to grow his hair out, now... We will see how that goes, but I am not against.

Kate, I pray for you daily. I pray that your body is completely healed, and that through all that you will have an undeniable peace and joy as you travel this journey. May God give your parents strength, Godly wisdom, peace, and comfort as they make the decisions for you. Lord, put your hedge of protection over this beautiful family...

For Kate

For Kate (Part One)

I'm still scared to chop my hair off. Every time I grow out my mine, and I get ready to cut it I chicken out and go safe with it. However, this time the plunge is truly throwing myself over the cliff. As I was gearing up to see what I needed to do for Locks of Love I thought FOR SURE the hair limit was six inches. Of course I can do that, but to my genuine surprise it was TEN inches... yea, freaked me out! Hubby got out the handy dandy tape measure (notice I did not say ruler) and I got the 10 inches, but it is er... short, shorter than what I thought I'd do. It's like the security blanket being taken away from you.

My heart started pounding, no racing as I thought about this. Sheesh, what was my problem, I can do this. Something just came over me, a fear that I have never had before all over my hair. I couldn't believe it, really. I didn't realize how stuck to my hair I was. Then a little face came into my mind. One that I see regularly, with a beautiful smile on her face:

It was this that first popped into my mind, then BOOM this:

Ultimately, the picture in my head turned to this:

With her mom's tweet too vivid in my mind ("It has started"), it was like a smack in the face for me being so... so... selfish over my (NO), HIS hair. The hair that only the ONE can give.


So, this beautiful young girl named Kate puts me in my place. To read her story and the beautiful walk with God her parents are trekking go to www.prayforkate.com or her Caring Bridge Page to learn about this sweet courageous gal.

Tomorrow at 12:00pm I will be chopping the mane:

Because in the end a beautiful vibrant young girl or boy will receive this because she/he didn't have the choice that I will have tomorrow. It's a hard thing to be attached to something as hair. God knows every number of hair on your head, and in times of great tribulation like the roller coaster of cancer He STILL knows that number. I wish I could be brave and shave it all off, and maybe one day I will. I pray that God would give me that courage that I lack, but that Kate sure seems to carry. If there is one thing that God has made evident in my heart, children are wonderful teachers.

Holly and Aaron, you two are in my prayers as you fight this horrific battle with your Kate. I hope you know just how much your family has touched my life. As I look at my two boys' eyes, I am reminded of Kate daily, and it has changed the way I SEE them.

This is for Kate...

Logan Nathanael Little Hollow Gift of God

Logan was a well thought out human plan, but the character that God gave him as been anything but thought out. He is truly one of kind. I can't define Logan very well because he is all over the spectrum. He is a momma's boy (Luk is a daddy's boy with some mommy tendencies), he is overly sensitive, he is defiant, he is precious, he loves, he is happy, he is a screamer, he cries ALOT, he eats ALOT, and he is an evil Knievel... I can't describe him enough. I do know that he will be the one to give me gray hairs.

Last night he was screaming in his crib, and when I went in he stopped looked up at me in his I'm asleep but I see you look. He was looking for his pacifier. I put it in place (what I call "pluggin' him up"), and then he just held my hand. He LOVES having that security. It is precious.  He is little hollow to me. He loves being in a safe place.

The way that my heart and love expands for this boy is just amazing. He makes me smile, he makes me mad, and he drives me bonkers. God made him cute for a reason! =D Logan has a strong dedication, I can only imagine what great things he is going to do with his life (if he can stay out of trouble).

If there is one thing I can say about Logan, his pictures show you what he is all about. He doesn't hide a thing, I can't imagine who he gets that from...

On me: his favorite place to be!