I write a lot in my journal and today I decided to share it with you in hopes that it would encourage you as much as it did me. Recently I started a bible reading plan from YouVersion called, “The Essential Jesus”. I enjoy going through books of the bible in a timely and orderly fashion, but this one is a bit different as it holds Jesus up and gives you a multi-perspective view of Him that wont leave you without awe of God’s glory by visiting many different passages of the NT.
Day 2 camps in Philippians 2:1-11. I suggest you read this passage. Right now. Go ahead.
We live in a culture of people who try to obtain power and status, often using others as an instrument to further the advancement of that journey. Yet, Christian faith goes against the grain of our power hungry culture. God, (who has ALL the power, ALL the glory, of which man cannot touch, handle, see, or have apart from being found in Christ) laid all His power down an chose to put on flesh. “Though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (VS 6-7)
God came as the Son of Man named Jesus. He was perfectly obedient to the Law and God has highly exalted Him. He is our Savior, our righteousness and our example. Bask in the glory of His goodness toward you and you just might find yourself tangibly working out this command in the text, “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (VS 3-4)
The things that God commands us to do will most often jump off the pages of His word first. This happens because you are keenly aware of your guilt because of an inability to do that command. Your failure to please God on your own hovers over you like an eery storm that is looming. You look in the mirror and see the word GUILTY written in your eyes.
Dear friend, rather than sit in that guilt and be paralyzed by it, allow it to be used as a tool that points you the One who has not failed to please God perfectly on your behalf. The One who not only did it for you, but freely gave you the gift of His righteousness and declared you guilt FREE. Jesus has done it and you are loved by God. Now, and only because of your generous King, can you be empowered to love others the way He does.
Let that guilt be the very driving force that allows you to agree with it, accept it, and be lavished in the grace that you are free from it because of Christ!
After flying in on Wednesday from a week-long visit with my parents, I received an email from my midwife;
“Would you with Averie (ideally Randy too but he probably has to work) be willing/able to be part of a presentation I’ll be giving at the college this Friday 5/18? I’ll be speaking in the Human Sexuality class about home birth. I’ve done this for several semesters now and I like to have 2-3 parents come with their babies to tell their stories of why they chose home birth, what it was like and be willing to answer any questions students have.”
Last december I was ready to give birth to our first baby. After much research about a womans ability to give birth we decided that while having a healthy pregnancy we would bring our baby into the world at home in a birthing tub. I felt ready and excited for labor after reading Ina May’s Guide to Natural Childbirth and Kathi would be there to help us along in the process.
Little did I understand that childbirth would change me forever as a woman. The labor itself took over my body and all I had to do was run with what it was trying to do; Bring Averie into the world.
In preparation for the class I was thinking of some key things I wanted to express about our home birth. 1) Comfort. Being at home offered me a freedom to birth in any part of the house I wanted. 2) Release of endorphins. I wanted to experience the bonding chemical that is released upon giving birth. 3) Husband. I wanted him to be a big part of the process since it was the first tangible moment of bonding with our baby. 4) Encouragement. I wanted people to understand that they didn’t have to fear over a woman giving birth. Birth is a natural process and it is not to be feared!
Upon arriving to the class people were happy to meet Averie. There were about 25 people there who were taking notes on what Kathi had to say about her job as a midwife. Taking a look around the room, I noticed they had been talking about sex and relationships. Birthing a child was noticed as “the final act of making love”. So true! Not all of them were sure about home birth, but absolutely came with questions and were ready to learn.
Kathi introduced us and a couple who had just given birth 2 weeks ago. (Made me miss how little Averie was when she was born!) We served on a panel explaining our labor/delivery and then we were subject to questioning afterward.
We talked about the controversial “Are You Mom Enough” article in Time Magazine, circumcision, the fathers role in birth, and home birth vs hospital birth. The woman who just gave birth two weeks ago explained her very different labors, one labor in a hospital setting and one at home. I came to the conclusion that, Lord willing, I would have all our children at home….but that each person owed it to themselves to do their homework and make a decision that was best for them.
Highlight of my classroom time: I was asked how the act of sexual relations was like childbirth. Jokingly I noted that I had hoped to have the “big O” during childbirth (which DOES happen!) and that I was sorry to not have that happen, this time. My honest answer was this, that the more comfortable I was with my body, just like making love, the more pleasure we had. Giving birth with my husband right there was a sacred intimate act, just like when we conceived her. A final act with great reward; a blessing from the Lord!
So yes…I am pro home birther and look forward to the next time I get to speak about it in public. I look forward to the Lord blessing us with more children in the near future. I am grateful for the human body that the Lord created, even though we live in a broken world with bodies that wither away, we get to experience the ultimate high of making babies and bringing them into the world! God sure knew what he was doing when He designed us humans…made in His image…
So God created man in his own image,in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them,“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:27-28)
A week long trip to visit my parents is drawing to a close.
Miss Averie had her first trip on an airplane and did wonderful. People on the plane were amazed at her lack of crying an also at her ability to be content playing with her footies.
We took her to see where her Mimi (grandma) works. The folks in the office were glad to meet her, expressing how beautiful she is. (Of course she is, but I’m a bit biased)
The first couple days without my husband were eased by technology because we were able to put our iPhones to use and FaceTime’d one another. It’s not the same of course, but it was a welcomed alternative. We got to read together over the phone and pray with one another. The only part that technology can’t provide are those kisses and snuggles that we look forward to getting back to!
My Dad, Hollie, Carson, Shelby, Averie and I piled in the car to Six Flags Over Georgia for a day of rides and sun! Watching my young siblings go on daring rides was awesome. They are so brave, much more brave than I ever was at that age.
Mother’s Day was a success as we cooked for the ladies and had our extended family over for the evening. We shared some funny girl experiences while the guys had their time chatting in the other room. We also got to watch the kids play “Just Dance III”.
These last couple days we have been soaking in the last hours of family time!
Tomorrow we board the airplane again, with teary eyes both sad to leave and anxious to get back home to Randy!
Isn’t it funny how time apart makes us grateful for what we have? I am refreshed to the gift of being a helper for my husband, a mother to our little girl, keeper of our home and a friend to many. This break was wonderful and now I’m ready to get back to kick off the summer season!
After a trip like this I’m never left short of amazed by how good God is to us, blessing us with time together and using the time away to be thankful for who we have waiting for us back home. This morning while reading 1 Peter 1 God spoke through his word that he guards us through faith in a salvation that is to come! (vs 5-6) All this time here on earth is a gift, and while we enjoy it…a future inheritance to come in Christ is our ultimate hope!
That’s a wrap!
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being GUARDED through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith-more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire-may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3-9)
One year ago, I could deeply relate to Hannah from 1 Samuel 1:15-17;
“But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.”Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.”
The petition was one that many women today still long for in their lives; to become a mother.
My husband went to church alone last year on this holiday because I was depressed over the idea of moms being celebrated when I was unable to conceive a baby.
God used the time of barrenness as the catalyst drove me to be sustained in Him alone. This was a two year long plea to the Lord.
Today, one year later, I look at a precious little girl that was given to us to raise knowing Christ. As a woman I now get to join in with Hannah when she praised God for answering her plea;
“And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the LORD; my strength is exalted in the LORD. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. There is none holy like the LORD; there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s, and on them he has set the world. He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail. The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the power of his anointed.” ”
1 Samuel 2:1-10
But here is the thing….
Notice Hannah didn’t just rejoice because God gave her a child. What I wasn’t able to see before was that having a baby was a gift, but the ULTIMATE gift is salvation in Christ. It is knowing God as my perfect Father who loves me and is in control. Hannah knew God, and was convinced, in hind sight (Lord increase our faith!) that a woman with ten children apart from God is forlorn. That it is better to be barren and know God than it is to have children without knowing Him.
This is my first Mother’s Day…..but…
It’s one of many days that I have been privileged to be consumed by salvation and a relationship with a Holy God who didn’t allow me to be forlorn. THIS is why I will snuggle with Averie and rejoice with Jesus!
Happy Mother’s Day
In November 2010 I was utterly depressed over the diagnoses I had been given at my local OBGYN.
PCOS – Polycystic Ovary Syndrome – Polycystic ovary syndrome is a condition in which there is an imbalance of a woman’s female sex hormones. This hormone imbalance may cause changes in the menstrual cycle, skin changes, small cysts in the ovaries, trouble getting pregnant, and other problems.
For time purposes I will keep this short, but you should know that Randy and I were talking about our options long before the diagnoses was confirmed through ultrasound testing. Fertility treatment? Adoption? Scratch our desires of having children altogether?
At the time I was working in emergency room at a hospital in Westminster Colorado when the Lord prompted me to look at natural remedies. (As a Christian I believe that God is still in the healing business today – so Randy and I had been praying in faith for quite some time. “And they (the disciples) departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.” Luke 9:6) The first thing I read was about the studies of Chiropractic revealing infertile women were responding to treatment, resulting in PREGNANCY!
I quickly called the first Chiropractic office that came up on the google search and within a couple of days the doctors were confident from a noninvasive x-ray taken, that a misalignment in my lower lumbar could be putting pressure on the nerves to my reproductive organs. If my organs were not getting the signal from my brain to produce regular cycles then it wasn’t a surprise I wasn’t able to get pregnant.
Fast forward 3 months and I could tell you that I was a believer in chiropractic. (Check out how the spine is wired ) Since my regular treatments I had a cycle each month….a thing that hadn’t happened the two years Randy and I were married. The fourth month we conceived our daughter Averie. Thank you JESUS! No needles, no drugs, no standing on my head (though we did this) and my muscles felt like I had been getting regular massages! Bonus.
Regular adjustments at a TC Chiropractors office kept me comfortable during my pregnancy. During that time I had learned that the body has a fascinating way of healing itself when it is functioning properly. And since birth was a huge deal for a little baby’s spine, we knew that as soon as our little girl was born I would take her in for her first adjustment. It was the most awesome thing to watch – the gentle fingers of the doctor massaged her tiny little bones into their proper place. (To find out more about the benefits of babies receiving chiropractic treatment, click here)
As some of you may know, we are getting ready to jet down to the south. A plane can harvest a whole host of germs! So to boost both of our immune systems this week, we will be getting an adjustment before boarding that plane. One less thing for me to be fearful of 😉 And it feels so good.
Even though I hear a lot of people expressing their concerns for our family going to the chiropractor first before the pediatrician….Why not see if the body will heal itself before reaching for medications? If it doesn’t work, then of course, try a different a different route. What have you got to lose?
I’m not gonna lie…
Flying in an airplane is a top 5 fear for me. It’s not just one part about flying that makes me afraid. It’s loading the plane, finding my seat, wondering who I sit by, taking off, every noise that the plane makes, every bump, knowing I am 30 thousand + feet in the air, the sound of the landing gear, landing…
The only relief I feel is when my two feet are walking the floor of the airport of my destination.
This week Averie and I will venture to the airport here in TC – with all the necessary child gear in tow – to see my parents in Atlanta. She will get to watch her mother struggle to relax for roughly 3.5 hours, having no clue what is going on.
Yes, I KNOW that statistics are on my side when it comes to the plane actually crashing, but the issue here is much more problematic than that – It’s about the condition of my heart.
Deep down I desperately desire to be in-the-know and control of things. I want to know how and when I will die, and I truly feel that I know what is best for me in life. Let me radically confess here that as a Christian, trusting that God has paid for my sin and that “it is finished” in Christ to live according to His will is the foundation of faith, I am struggling to come to terms with the fact that I cannot be in control.
This week I listened to a heart stirring sermon which God lovingly led me to repentance:
Number one: Fear is an attempt at sovereignty. “I see and know all, and I’m freaked out.” You don’t see and know all.
Number two: Fear is vision without God. “I see the future. God’s not in it. God’s not for me. God’s not going to help me.”
Number three: Fear turns us into false prophets. “Oh, I’ve seen the future, and it’s horrendous.”
Number Four: Fear preaches a false gospel. “Oh, there’s a hell out there: I’ll be single, I’ll be broke, I’ll be sick, I’ll be suffering, I’ll be struggling, all the things that John is enduring. So, there’s that hell, that functional, false, fearful hell, and then to get out of it, I need a false, functional savior. So, I need to hold onto my money. I need to control my life. I need to remove myself from community. I need to rebel against authority. I need to sin. I need to self-medicate. I need to self-justify. I need to turn Jesus into a therapist, so I can be glorified. And then I can live in this view of heaven before the resurrection, that I have in my imagination.”
God says in the bible over 150 times, “Fear not”. If I were to imagine that God is angry with me, I could see this as a very scary command. But He is not angry with me. He loves me so much that he made a way for me in Christ to have a relationship with Him. And one of the many promises that God says in scripture is, “if anyone keeps my word, he will NEVER taste death”. (John 8:51)
Instead of being fearful this week, through faith that God has given me I will walk onto that plane knowing that no matter what happens Jesus is with me “until the end”, that His will for my life is better than the life I would try and live on my own, rest in the fact that the ultimate hope is of a Heavenly Kingdom to come, and rest in the fact that God would not have to say over 150 times “fear not” if no one ever feared something.
If you think about it this week, please pray for us!
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,to the praise of his glory
Ephesians 1:3-11 ESV
Burris Blunders 