Prayer

I haven't posted in a very long time, so, I'll update on happenings at our house later on. For those of you who are still checking this, please pray for the Farley family. They are not close friends of mine, but, I have know them for a long time from CPC Alliance days. They are walking through the fire at this moment with their little family. Here is a link to their site: http://www.conorbootheandgirls.blogspot.com Please pray for their sweet family. Their enduring family has been a testimony to literally thousands of people.

Courtney

Why, When and How

This is an open question post. Yesterday in church, our pastor was talking about the church in Laodicea. Since that wouldn't necessarily ring bells for me either, it was the church that the Scripture passage was written to concerning being hot and cold and not lukewarm. I'm sure that most of us have heard that verse in church or school or some other capacity. I can think of many, many times it would have been brought to mind in college.....anyway..... Our pastor was talking about how self-sufficient and arrogant this church had become, thus the letter being written to them to confront them and their sin. I had a confrontation a couple of weeks ago with a very old and dear friend. It did not go well. But, I did tell her things that I felt had been put on my heart to tell her many times and had lacked the courage to do so. My heart breaks for her because of some of the decisions that she has made and is making. However, that is not to say that I am anywhere close to being perfect- I am so far from it. I could post for days about the sins that I deal with constantly and the poor attitude I have being a parent frequently. But, I feel as if I am continually challenged on these things by my husband and friends, and mostly, by God. So, before I drone on and on, has anyone dealt with this before? I know I have been vague, but, in the spirit of confidentiality, I don't want to reveal too much. I love her dearly, but, when do you let go? How long do you watch someone not seem to care about their sin? Is it any of our business as friends, or more so, as sisters in Christ? I would love to hear any opinions on this!!!........

Daddies

I should have posted this before Father's Day. Oops. Anyway, most of you know that I did not have a close relationship with my father. He was an alcoholic and left our family when I was 12. Although he was in and out for most of my life, I never felt as if Father's Day was something I was ever able to participate in. Having said that for history's sake, that is not why I'm posting.
I am posting today to celebrate my husband. God has given me such a gift not only in Rob as my husband, but, as a father to my children. He loves our girls so much and he takes time to talk to them, play with them, read to them and really get to know them. When he comes home at night, he wants to know all about what we did that day and how they acted/reacted to the things that we did. It's amazing to me to see how he wants to be so involved in every aspect of their lives. He hugs and kisses them and, in turn, disciplines them sternly and lovingly. He's not perfect, by any means, but he's pretty incredible anyway. I have been privileged to be able to witness the father that he is to them. The girls are crazy about him and I know that that security and confidence in a father that loves them will be a catalyst for them to grasp the love of their heavenly Father. I hope that he feels honored as he should because he is our rock and we love him so very much. Happy Father's Day, honey!

Going Home

I thought when I started this blog that I would just post things all the time. But, I have found that I want to have something to say, even if it's not earth shattering. This morning I went to a funeral of a very dear family friend, Peggy Southard. She had been battling cancer for 2 years and she passed away on Sunday morning. She and her family had planned the entire funeral and it was amazing. I don't even think that I can do the experience justice by describing it. It was truly a praise and worship celebration. I feel spiritually revitalized just by being able to listen to the testimony of the friends and family that loved her. I feel comissioned to go deeper with Christ and deeper into the Word because of the legacy of her faith that we celebrated today. A woman like Mrs. Southard is rare indeed. But, what I saw today was a description of an imperfect woman who struggled just as I do and many others do also. The magnetism of who she was, and is, was found in her relationship with Jesus. I can't explain what the whole service encompassed as far as describing her life and relationships and such. But, what I do know is that I felt God there. Intensely. He met everyone in that place today. And through His effect on believers and non-believers there, there was no doubt a call to Himself. For me personally, it was a call to be first and foremost a daughter of the Son of God. Then a wife, then a mother, then a child, and then a friend. I'm going to linger in the moment that was today and I pray that what I heard today would continue to penetrate. Because even though Peggy was by no means perfect, she was a standard of faith, relationship, and compassion that I aspire to. I can only imagine how it would feel to lose a mother at our relatively young ages. But, I know that the time they had with her is immeasurable and incomparable. I want to love my children the way that she loved her children. And, especially I want to love and cherish my husband the way that she loved and cherished hers. What a marriage. What a relationship. What a life.

Prayers Needed

Please pray for a little girl named Annabelle Obersteadt. She has been battling cancer now for a year. She is just three years old. She underwent an operation in Feb. that removed most of her tumor, but, her parents have just now learned that the cancer has returned. They will be going to Vanderbilt in the next 2 weeks to undergo many tests to determine where the cancer is this time. Please pray for this little girl and this family. They have been through so much this year. The little girl's father is a high school classmate of mine.

Nature Exploration

So, today I took the kids to do something different. We have been a little cooped up the past couple of days. I mean, we've been outside, we've just been outside at home- no driving. GAS!!! It's so freaking expensive. Everytime I fill up (yes, my Honda minivan- I'm old), I want to throw up. Anyway, I took the girls to this old country club in Franklin. It closed down about 3 years ago, and the city of Franklin bought it with aspirations of creating a big park. But right now, it's just an overgrown golf course. There are all sorts of cart paths throughout the course. However, the best part is that there is an abundance of wildlife at the 3 different ponds on the course. I took the girls in the stroller down the path and we discovered some geese, ducks, and even a crane. We had brought some dry bread to feed them and we, including me, had a blast! The looks on the girls' faces were priceless. The geese were very friendly, not that I let the girls touch them though-let's be honest; birds are filthy. But, they didn't hiss or fly away when we got close to them.
The reason why I wanted to post this is b/c today, just for a moment, I felt like a bit of a hero. When the girls looked at me, it was if I had been hiding this magical spot and revealed it to them at that instant. I felt so thankful that God had given me these little babies to be able to amaze with His own magnificent creation. And though it may sound cheesy or nostalgic, it was such a favorite moment. It really was.
I am constantly telling my friends, I feel, about how hard it is to be a parent. And it is- lots of cleaning, making meals, disciplining, and less sleep. I'm afraid that I don't talk enough about how incredibly wonderful and rewarding it is. Sometimes, I don't talk about that aspect b/c I'm trying to be sensitive to those who are unable to have children or those who desire a family and are not at a particular point in life where that is a reality. But, I am realizing that life should be a celebration of all avenues- whichever ones we happen to be traveling down. B/c I want my children to know that even though I have to be Courtney and not just Mommy sometimes, that they, along with their Dad, are God's greatest gifts to me. B/c we choose our friends, to an extent, and we can take some pride as to who we choose and why we choose to continue the friendships. But, our children are given to us specifically from the Father who knows how to choose well for us. And what we do with them and for them molds them into the people that they will grown into. That is a great responsibility and an incredible honor. Today as I got to watch their little minds reeling with all that was around them, I felt overwhelmed with gratitude. And when they looked at me, I also saw their little hearts swelling with love for their mommy b/c they were grateful for what I had done for them and with them today. You can't buy that, create that, take that, or make that - that is a gift from a Father who looked down on me today like I looked at my very own children....

Introductory Pics

Titles

So, I have finally entered the blogging world. Well, I have technically been around for a bit now, but, without a blog to call my own. The title is one that a few of you out there may know. I will make my first blog entry on that, I suppose.

In high school, most of my friends and I were very involved in our church youth group. It was our total social atmosphere. I attended a very small, private Christian school and attended the church that it was affiliated with. See the bubble here? Everything we did socially, for the most part, was with our youth group or school. I'm sure that others branched out more than I did - or, I know they did, rather - somewhat, but, since I was also involved in sports, it was church and school and that filled my time!

O.K., on to the title. About once a month, our separate high school discipleship group leaders had the "brilliant" idea to get all of the junior and senior girls together for a sleepover; Mug-A-Muffin, if you will. We all piled into the house of one of the leaders, and went on from there. This was one of the worst ideas for high school girls. If any of you can remember slumber parties, this one was worse than what you remember. There were many tears, much gossip, and less "discipling" to boot. However, I look back on them fondly. I don't know why. Maybe I was the one making people cry instead of crying? Perhaps, but, I don't remember that specifically.

I chose this title for my blog b/c I think that it represents something. An idea made with incredible faith in God's creation. You see, our leaders thought that bringing all of these young women together would bridge the gap. We all remember high school - the rich kids, the athletic kids, the fine arts kids, the band kids, the smart kids, etc. - being about fighting to find your ground and attempting to declare your independence. Yet, it became more than that. It also became about stepping on others to get to your piece of ground that made you feel safe. Many of us carry scars from these battles to this day. Others of us still revel in the warmth of the friendships we carry from those days. We learn alot about how to divide and conquer, or how to gather to ourselves in high school. And then we go on to college and figure out what works and what doesn't. But, the methodology was there long before sororities and dormitories.

So, Mug-A-Muffin is the name. This idea of coming together as women or men, mothers and fathers, and friends is age old and long ignored. We, as a society, embrace the idea of divisiveness as Biblical and proper. But, it is neither of those. Should we as Christians separate ourselves from evil and sinfulness? Absolutely. But, from the sinner? I think not. Democrats, Republicans, drinkers, abstainers, smokers, non-smokers, bloggers, lurkers, boys, girls, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Church of Christ-ers (?), etc. - it's time for a Mug-A-Muffin.

That's what my blog will be. It will be about life and kids and work and whatever comes to mind. But, I hope that there is something for everyone, if anyone reads it. I'll put alot of pics of the fam up here so that those far away can keep up. But, that's how I hope it will go. Talk to you all soon.