Shades of grey!

I really enjoy putting these random thoughts from my head in writing! It somehow seems to complete my thinking process! So, the older I get the more and more I feel like the world is really painted in shades of grey. These days I feel so much like a fence sitter. I can easily argue both sides of so many arguments/discussions. I have a harder time coming down on one side or the other. I hear the word "intolerant" screaming in my head, a word that many Christians get labeled as. I don't want to be tolerant of things I should be tolerant of, yet so many issues are not black or white. And I'm really a black or white kind of person. It's yes or no, right or wrong, black or white. The shades of grey are an area of discomfort and uneasiness, yet so much a part of my life that I must become "tolerant" of the greyness!

On a side note, just in case you were wondering, we all survived the big earthquake that struck 120 miles from our home. No damage or loss of life! :) I love it that my boys got to experience the quake though. My youngest son was actually sitting outside under a tree at 5:37 a.m. when it happened. I couldn't wait for him to come running in to my bedroom all wide eyed and tell me his version of what happened.

A friend passed this email along to me not long ago. She had a friend who lost their baby at 21 weeks, and these are a few of her reflections. I was moved, so I thought I would share...

"I don't even know how to answer the question of how I'm doing anymore. God is good and I long to be with him. This world is hard and I know he is drawing me near to him. Sometimes I resent that. I just want life to be fun, I think of myself as a fun loving person. However, I also recognize that when things are 'good'or 'easy' (which has been most of my 33 years) how far away from him I grow.Theologically, I don't believe God has caused all these things in my life or that he is testing me, but his glory will be had in all things in my life, the good and the bad. I am his, my marriage is his, my family is his. Satan, no matter how he chooses to rear his ugly head in my life, has no place in my life because it is that. Life. Satan is death. I am in a constant battle of taking my thoughts captive. Sometimes I win and sometimes I don't.

I do feel like we are doing well, all things considered. You would be surprised with how you would be able to handle situations thrown at you, especially as a wife and mom. You do what you have to do, you don't have any other choice. When we had Isaac I remember my doctor saying to Mike and I, "You sure are taking allof this really well." It made me laugh because I don't really know what the expectation was, but I'm forced to deal with anything that happens in my life, good or bad. The only choice I do have is how I handle it. Do I fall apart sometimes? Absolutely, more than I'd like. It's what I do after I fall apart that I think counts."

A little culture

Holy Cow! Time has a way of flying by, whether you like it or not. My last bog post was almost a month ago. I guess I'm still adjusting to working full time, in addition to the many other motherly duties. So I'm trying to think of noteworthy news over the last month. Here's what I've come up with.

• Jordan took his first missions trip to eastern Kentucky. They helped some folks by redoing a roof, porch and other misc. needs. We have such a great group of teens and adults (who choose to spend their spring break with this gang). I'm glad our boys have been able to grow up with such a loving church family.
• Jor and his best friend advanced to the state level in History Day. (For those of you who don't know about History Day, it's kind of like a science fair where people have different exhibits, but all history related.) He was pretty excited!
• Dan and I got a little culture this weekend. Some friends of ours took us to a fancy restaurant in Indianapolis and to the theater. We saw "Twelve Angry Men." It was really pretty good. We don't get out much to do things like that, so it was a good change of pace. Our friends are like an adopted set of parents who live down the road; we had a great time hanging out with them for the evening.
• I love how God puts the things you need to hear in your path. I taught Sunday school yesterday, and the lesson was on joy. The premise was that you can find joy even when things don't go your way. We are constantly going through things in life that try to steal our happiness or joy. The truth is that no matter what is happening all around us, we can still have joy by knowing our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and thanking Him for the sacrifices He's made for us. Funny how the lessons we are trying to pass along on to the kids today, are lessons we are still trying to master as adults.