The Watch

You cannot walk into my closet. You can lean into my closet. I have photography stuff, sewing machine, old school books, shoes and, oh yeah, clothes - all thrown in there because there is no other place. And because we were having young adults over last night so everything was hidden in my closet - and under the bed - so it would look like my house was clean. I'm not the poster child for being a "keeper at home" like Titus 2 tells us we are to be. The sad thing about that is that I don't have a job outside the home that keeps from being here to make sure things run smoothly. I know some girls that have a full time job and family and can still put their hands on anything that is needed at home because she is a "keeper at home". When I looked up the definition of what being a keeper at home means, one of the words that caught my attention was to be a "watch" over her home. She is to make sure things run smoothly as far as knowing there is clean underwear in the drawers and where the screwdriver is, but also to know what is going on spiritually. We've talked about that before. She looks well to the ways of her household. I'm telling you, the Lord tells us in several ways the importance of knowing and fighting off the enemy from our homes. If you don't dust and mop once a week, I kind of think the Lord won't ask you to be accountable for that when you stand before Him. If you don't watch and pray against the sin in your home, you will answer for it.

I love Nehemiah. He was a Jew that had been taken into captivity and had been assigned to be cupbearer for the king. Nehemiah got word that the wall was down around his beloved city Jerusalem. He was able to take a leave of absence from his cupbearing resposibilities and take materials back to begin the rebuilding of the wall. When he got there he was walking over the rubble of the wall and two men (Sanballat and Tobiah) came up to him and basically told him the job was too big - there was no way he would be able to get the wall rebuilt. That is how the enemy gets many of us when we are trying to do something to fortify or protect our temple, whether physically or spiritually. He discourages us and we give up and quit. Nehemiah didn't quit. He positioned a person with a horn to be able to alert him of enemy threat. He circled the city with people who carried weapons, then he had others that worked on the wall and carried weapons, and some that just worked on the wall. They were all ready to fight off the enemy while the work was going on.

When we lived in Stillwater I planted a garden and had eight tomato plants. They were planted on their little mound and then I put a circle of dirt around each plant. The girls were helping me one day and I showed them a few little weeds coming up around the tomatoes. I told them the story of Nehemiah and how he was rebuilding the wall around the city. I showed them the circle of dirt around each tomato. Told them that each tomato represented one of us in our family. There was the daddy tomato, mommy tomato, down to the Rachel tomato. We had to watch it closely, and whenever we saw a weed coming up we had to pull it up so it wouldn't swallow up our daddy, mommy, etc. I explained that is like sin in our lives and if there are a bunch of weeds (sin) the tomatoes would be choked out and we wouldn't have fresh hot sauce. The weeds were the enemy. It was so cute to watch them yank out the weeds while yelling for them to "leave us alone!" There were a couple of times I remember specifically being out there with a hoe, chopping like a mad woman. Just me and God. Even when the weeds were cleared I kept chopping and crying that the enemy would leave my kids alone. That, my sweet one, is keeping a watch over your home. I wish I was always that diligent, but I'm not.

Forgive me, Sweet Jesus, when I get tired or too busy to keep a watch over my home. Burden my heart to listen for the Holy Spirit to be the alarm when there is enemy attack on the ones I love. Then to hoe until there are blisters on my hands and I see You clearly and beautifully in their lives. Oh, my heart loves You!

More Daddy

I think it is pretty amazing how parents are teaching their babies sign language before they can speak. When our kids were babies, we had to guess at what the "point and grunt" meant. At Christmas, Eli showed us often how he could sign "food, more, milk, Mommy, and Daddy". One time after he woke up he walked into the kitchen and signed every word he knew, and did it pretty quickly. He was REALLY HUNGRY! I fully expected him to cross himself as if asking for it in Jesus' name, just so he knew his needs would be met! I was talking with Kyle a couple of weeks ago and he was telling me how he is getting to keep Eli two days a week when he is off. He is spending more time with him than before. They like each other pretty much. He told me that when he doesn't have him, Eli will sign "more" and "daddy". I might have misunderstood what he was telling me, but when we finished our conversation, I kept thinking about "more daddy". I thought of how it probably makes God feel when we tell Him we need or want more of Him.

Some days when I get the empty feeling inside I feel like I need to fill it up with something. I think I would feel better if I just had:

some time to myself

some chocolate; preferably supported by two scoops of Braum's Creamy Vanilla, topped with roasted pecans and a
couple of cherries singing the Hallalujah Chorus as loud as their little cherry mouths will sing

some more grandbabies (hint, hint)

my house cleaned up

my new chicken pen built, or

my garden plowed.

In reality, all I need is more Daddy, more Abba Father, more Jesus - Lover of my very needy soul. Sometimes when I wake up in the wee hours of the morning, I pray for all I know to pray for then beg the Lord for a little more shut-eye. I was thinking about that today while I was driving and realized that He CHOSE to wake ME up to spend time with me. He loves me so much. In Isaiah 50 it says "Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. The Lord God has opened my ear and I was not rebellious: I turned not backward." In other words, whenever He wakes me up I don't roll over, pull the pillow over my head, and desperately pray for more sleep. He CHOSE ME to visit with. Out of everybody else. ME. I need Him. Oh, how I need Him.

If you are trying to fill up that spot with people, alcohol, drugs, things, or calendar events, it won't get filled. We were born with a void inside that could only be filled by something greater than what we can control. It has to be Jesus.

Fill me up with You today, Jesus. Up and overflowing. I need more Daddy.

My Man

Sixteen years ago on a Sunday afternoon, Kyle, Adam, Kayla and I walked down an aisle in the chapel at First Baptist Church, Snyder, to take someone new into our family. Some of the people in the chapel weren't sure how they felt about the whole situation or if it would even work. I knew it would. We had some adjustments to make and some issues to work through, but it has been a very sweet journey. I never thought I would be a preacher's wife and Miichael never thought he would be a preacher. We've both grown up a lot since that day, and learned over the years that we just want to walk through life together and be available for whatever God plans. He knew he wanted to grow old with me even though at the time I wasn't too keen on growing old at all. Now I love to think about our later years and how sweet they will be. And the grandparent role? It makes me smile to think of him as the Poppa as the other half of this Lollie.

From the very beginning there has been a song he sings every once in a while and it always brings sweet emotion to me.
"Rockin' chairs, rockin' babies', rock-a-bye, rock of ages. Side by side, we'll be togethter always." That is one of the lines out of the old Dolly Parton song. When we had the babies and they would cry, he would always mention what a sweet sound that was because "some people don't ever get to hear that sound". He loves being a dad. To all of them. He would sing that song because it made him think of us, with all the kids until our growing old years. I love that.

I can't believe it has been sixteen years. It has been sweeter than I ever imagined it could be. He is my best friend and confidant. He makes me laugh, especially at night before he gets in bed when he reaches over and picks up both socks he has just "moon walked" out of, then holds them high like they are trophies or something, a sock in each hand with a silly grin on his face. It cracks me up. This man laughs in his sleep. I love that, too.

I love it when he wears a baseball cap. I love to watch his hands when he plays the guitar. I love it when he gets emotional when he talks about the Lord. I love when he teahes me the Word when he's been studying. I love that he loves me so much, no matter what I look like. I love that when I'm down he encourages me. I love to hear him play the piano late at night when we are all in bed. He brings me diet coke from Sonic. What an amazing husband. An amazing man. My man.

Say No to Crack

In Titus 2, the older women are told to teach the younger women to be sober, and love their husbands and children. They are also to teach them to be discreet and chaste. The definitions for discreet and chaste are "temperate, self-controlled, sacred, pure, pure from carnality, modest, and pure from every fault". We live in a time where modesty and purity are almost unheard of. The girls were talking the other day about when we first came here, how shocked they were when they would see someone's cleavage or backside because of how low the shirts and pants were worn. They said they weren't shocked any more because they have seen it so often, but it does seem to be getting better. Not long after we came there was a lady getting baptized and one of the young ladies standing up there with her had "Up Yours" on the back of her shirt. She also had on some very short shorts. Standing up there for the whole congregation to see. I think it may have caused a few of our women to have a case of the vapors. If we are faithful to teach and not to condemn or criticize, they slowly start changing their ideas of appropriate dress because the Holy Spirit is leading them.

In Ruth 3:3 Ruth was told by her mother-in-law to wash, clothe, and annoint herself and then to go lay at Boaz' feet (her prospective husband). The word for clothe means "doubly clothed". Instead of taking her clothes off to get her man, she actually covered herself with an extra coat! You girls without husbands, know that when you wear provocative clothes, it will take a long time before a guy will know your heart because he will be preoccupied with what your body looks like. Just remember that "perky" eventually loses it's perkiness and "firm" will eventually best describe your mattress rather than your backside. If he falls in love with your heart, then physical things won't matter years later. How sweet is that !?!

For married women, in Proverbs 31:11 it says that the heart of her husband safely trusts in her. Your wardrobe should never be something that would draw another man's eye to your body. Your husband should be confident that the things you say and the things you wear would always bring honor to him. If you ever hear "nice melons" from somone other than your hubby, you better be standing in the produce section of your local grocery store! So to be discreet and chaste, means you must strive to be pure from every fault. You are to be pure in the way you think and pure in the way you dress. If you are striving to honor God you will honor your husband and his heart can safely trust in you. That is really sweet.

Keith, Sherri, and Averi

If we could hand pick our kids, I would keep all mine and pick me out several more. Keith and Sherri would be tops on that list. We love them and little Averi. They came for a few hours back in November and we took advantage of that time to get some pictures. They are precious to us and we still hope one day to have them closer.

Frannie connecting to Meemaw

I did a post last April about Sandy and Mac. Sandy prays for me as if she gave birth to me and I love her a bunch. Last Monday at our ladies' Bible study her phone went off while she was in the closet with several other ladies (don't ask) and her ring tone was a baby laughing. The other ladies loved it and asked Leah and Hannah if they could blue tooth it to their phones. They were laughing about it later because one of them had Sandy's phone and the other had someone else's phone and the phone said "Frannie connecting to Meemaw". Sandy's grandkids call her Frannie. I love that. The girls thought it was so cute how the women had their "grandma names" on their phones.

We were studying Titus 2 that night about how the older women are to teach the younger women. The word for teach there is "to restore to one's senses, to disciple, to hold one to her duty, to call along side, to comfort". Isn't that beautiful? They are to teach the younger women to be sober. That means they are to not take in anything that would keep them from being clear headed. That they are sharply aware of all that is going on. Then they are to be taught to love their husbands and children. This means "love in action for the glory of God" and "tender affection". Whoa. We are to show tender affection for them even if we don't feel it because it glorifies God. I believe with all my heart that if we do it out of obedience to God, He fills our heart full of love for them. We don't have to do it out of our own ability. He gives us the capacity to love when we feel like we can't. I remember when Robby first came to our home. He had been there for several days and I pretty much let the girls do the holding and playing while I did busy "Mom" things. I started praying that God would love that little boy through me because I didn't know if I could make a heart connection on my own. One morning I was standing at the mirror putting on makeup and I heard this little voice down behind me say "Mommy?" I turned around and knelt down and took that little auburn haired boy to my chest and held him. From that day on I held him with my arms and held him with my heart. Not because I was a caring, loving person, but because I asked God to love this little guy using my heart. My arms. My voice. He did. Boy, did He ever.

You don't have to be a Frannie or Meemaw to teach younger women. Look around and see who God has put into your life for you to encourage.