My Prayer

My Three Favorite Young Adults in the Whole Wide World,

Throughout the years, your dad and I have had the privilege of sitting in on a few of Bill Roth's (our dear friend) mini-seminars on contemplative prayer! We love listening to and learning from Bill! Right, Ali?! In the most recent series, one of the homework assignments was to meditate on one of Adrian van Kaam's prayers. The prayer is beautiful! And, I did meditate on it!

Being authentic to what God reveals to ME, I had a strong desire to write my own meditative prayer. So...that's what I did. Here it goes...

Thank You, Jesus Christ, for this beautiful day, in which You call me to empty myself, to be clothed in You, to walk in Your Holy Spirit and to set my mind on the things above, on You! May Your Life be displayed through me to my family and to those with whom I come in contact. May I always be filled with the joy of being in Your Presence! Thank You for offering up Yourself once for all my sin! Through the work of Your Holy Spirit in my life, cause me to rejoice always, to be in constant conversation with You and to give thanks in everything. I want knowing You to be everything to me! May my heart's desire be to love You above all else and with Your Life in me, to love others! I love You!

(References I used: Phil. 2:7, Romans 13:14, Galatians 5:25, Colossians 3:2, Galatians 2:20, Acts 2:28, Hebrews 7:27, I Thes. 5:16-18, Phil. 3:8, Matt. 22:37-39. Again, just jotting down a few of my favorite verses together and then making it in a prayer to my Lord Jesus Christ!)

Ali, Nick and Greg, I'm challenging you to sit still for a few minutes, listen to your Shepherd's voice and come up with your own meditative prayer!

I'm crazy about you three!

oxo-Mom

ps~A few minutes after writing this, while on our way to work, a really bad driver almost rear-ended us, then cut in front of a long line of waiting cars. I, just the passenger, made sure I gave him a look that let him know what an idiot he was being. Yep...Jesus, I need YOU!

My Third Son, Part II

Greg and Nick,

I'm sure you understand...Sometimes there are people in your life that are just so extra special, that you feel like they are a part of the family. Just wanted you to know that your cousin, Brad, is that special to me. He is definitely like a third son to me.

So, you can call him your cousin, your brother, whatever. But, to me, he will always be like a son.

Love you both,

oxo-Mom

My Third Son!

Maybe...someday...if it's God's plan for you, Ali, I will get a son-in-law! Months ago I shared with your brothers my thoughts on their future wives. Today I wanted to jot down my desires and dreams for your future husband, my little Pooh!

You know this one...Above all else, I pray that your future husband loves the Lord Jesus Christ passionately! That he desires to be walking in the Spirit! That he is in awe of our God!

And, (you already know this, too) that he has a teachable heart, eager to grow and learn, to allow the Holy Spirit to change him.

I hope you marry a man and not a little boy. (You already know this. Hmm...wondering why I'm even writing this...) A man who has already been taking care of himself, is independent, makes his own decisions, ready for the responsibility of joining himself to YOU! Yes, my precious one, I pray that you marry a man!

Ali, you are darling! You have a very unique, a bit quirky personality. I want your future husband to cherish that about you! To laugh at your little "Ali-isms"! (And, to gently cover your mouth to protect you and those around you from some of those things that pop out of your mouth. I'm thinking of an evening around the dinner table when Kim was over. And, a few other instances come to mind. Makes me smile. And, squirm just a bit.) To sing with you when you do your funny singing-instead-of-talking thing. Or, at least to smile and not tell you to be quiet. :-) To dance your little sprinkler or going-under-water dances with you! To belly ache laugh with you! Or, at least to smile at you when you laugh that laugh! To stoop with you when you are pretending to tie your shoe lace (even if you are wearing slip-ons). And, I pray that he knows how to hold you in his arms and just comfort you when you are feeling sad. That he tells you you are beautiful and that above anyone else in the world, he has chosen YOU to be his wife!

A talker would be good...maybe. A good listener and a good question asker would be a plus!

A man who will truly appreciate your gift of cooking healthy, delicious meals!

And, someone who loves your mother and likes to hang out with your family! ;-)

Can't wait to see what and/or who God has in store for you! And, if your choice of a first (almost) boyfriend is any indication, you have great taste!

oxo-Mom

Changing the Words

There's this thing I do, to make sure my words match what is in my heart...

When I am singing a song, in church, in the car, in my room, and the lyrics don't match my beliefs or place in life, I just sing my own words!

For example:

When we are singing this song, and we get to the part, "In all I do, I honor You," I change it to "In all I do, I desire to honor You." (I definitely do not honor my God in ALL I do. Take, for instance, my driving.)

And, then there's the song with the words, "I'm so broken." I change those words to, "Thank You that I am complete in You!" (Kind of weird to anyone around me who hears this. Doesn't even come close to the original words. But, I sing very softly.)

Then there's the ever-popular, "I live for You". I know you three could shout out in unison how I change that up! "I live IN You!"

What about you three, my precious children? What words do you change to match what God is revealing to you about Himself, who you are IN Him?!

I love you all so very much!

oxo-Mom

Nicky is 21!

Never too late to wish you a happy 21st!

I wish I would have posted this on your actual birthday.

Can you forgive me?

Kept procrastinating...

You will forgive me, won't you?!

Want you to know what I love about you...

R U embarrassed yet?

I think the list may be long...

Great smile, sparkling eyes, big hugs,

Huge heart, caring, sensitive, kind,

Thinker, loyal, dedicated and lover of God!

Happy 21st, Nick!

ps~Told you I wanted to do an acrostic. :-)

Didn't know where to put in "surfer", "chemistry nerd", "soccer fanatic", "best brother" (besides Gregory)...

A Poem for Pooh

Roses are red,

Violets are not black.

My baby girl was in New York,

But today she's moving back!!!

:-)

Two Books

This morning I had a big chunk of time (unexpectedly) all to myself! (Don't tell your aunts or Grandpa...Grandpa needed things down at the hospital...I didn't volunteer. A fact of which I am not proud.) Anyway...

I finished two books. Two! Both this morning!

One book was, well, confusing. Not in the "I don't understand, I need clarity" kind of way. But, in a "this has a bit of good stuff in it, but, ohhh, the inconsistencies with the written Word of God, ohhh..." kind of way. I tackled this book like I do most of my books...yellow highlighter, Bible (many versions), pen by my side and a call to God to reveal His truth to me. In this particular book I have !, and an occasion "Amen!" or "Agree!", a bit of highlighting, also ?, ???, some crossing out of the author's words, and lots of verses scribbled in the margins. Written (with my hard-to-read handwriting) at the end of the book;

Hebrews 1:1,2~"God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, Whom He appointed heir of all things, through Whom also He made the world." !!! (The ! are mine.)

And;

John 10:27~"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." !!!

That's all I'm going to say about that book.

The other book, The Saving Life of Christ, written by Major W. Ian Thomas, pointed me to Jesus! In this book;

"Jesus Christ Himself is the final exegesis of all truth. He is all that we need to know about God, and He is all that we need to know about man. If 'to live in the land' is to enjoy that quality of life which is made possible only by virtue of allowing Him to live His life in us, we could not do better than to conclude our studies in this book by turning our eyes again upon Him, whose perfect humanity is matched only by His perfect deity...It is for you to be-it is for Him to do! Restfully available to the Saving life of Christ, enjoying 'the richest measure of the diving Presence, a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself,' instantly obedient to the heavenly impulse-this is your vocation, and this is your victory!"

Colossians 2:9,10b~"For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete..."

Greg, Ali and Nick, fix your eyes on Jesus. Listen to His voice. Yield yourselves to Him. Allow Him to be your very Life.

oxo-Mom