Girls Gone Wise Giveaway!

Girls Gone Wise is a timely and much-needed study of godly womanhood. In a culture saturated with liberal feminism, it is easy to lose sight of how to be biblically feminine. In her contrast of the Girl Gone Wild and the Girl Gone Wise, Kassian does not simply present a list of rules and regulations. Instead, she examines the motivations and heart attitudes which characterize wisdom and wildness. Her teaching is biblical, insightful, convicting, and compelling. I recommend this book for all women whether 13 or 113.

I am so excited that Moody Publishers has given me a copy of Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild to give away to one of my readers.  Want to win?  There are three ways to enter the giveaway:

1.  Leave a comment.

2.  If you are a follower, you can get an extra entry.  Just leave a second comment saying that you follow my blog.

3.  Really, really want to win?  Tweet or blog about this giveaway, and leave a comment letting me know that you did.

A winner will be chosen on Wednesday, May 5th using random.org.  I hope you win!

*This giveaway is now closed*

Lily of the Valley

My sweet neighbor, Adina, brought a bouquet of Lilies of the Valley to me three days ago.  They grow up on the hill behind our apartments. The flowers are now sitting in a vase in our home, a beautiful reminder to me to not worry about anything.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Matthew 6:25-34, NIV 

Soft-Boiled Eggs and Violets

When I was a little girl I loved to go to my Oma and Opa's house.  Oma would always fix soft-boiled eggs for breakfast - my favorite!  Then, to my amazement, Oma could turn the empty eggshells into vases for small flowers.  She would carefully wash the eggshells and keep the ones that had not cracked.  Then the two of us would take a walk in the backyard to pick flowers for our eggshell vases.  It was my special time with Oma, and I always liked picking the wild violets that grew in her backyard.  To this day, wild violets remind me of Oma.

Guess what I found in our backyard this spring...

Wild Violets!

Earlier this week William and I ate soft boiled eggs for breakfast.  Then that afternoon we took a walk to the back of the apartments where the violets are.  (We took all of the necessary precautions for such an excursion: a stool for me to sit on, compression hose, water, and a cell phone for William to call Will if I were to faint or be too weak to get back to the front of the building.)  Once in the back, I sat down and picked my violets while William picked dandelions.  We took them inside, and my violets found their home in a small eggshell vase, just like Oma used to make for me.

Longing for Heaven, but Enjoying the Present

Life with a chronic illness is hard. Having a body that doesn't work can be quite frustrating. The Lord is teaching me to be content and to enjoy life despite its difficulties. Even while enjoying life, though, I long for Heaven. I long for the time when I will have a new body. A body that works!

There is a balance to strike between living here and now and longing for Heaven. I am very much looking forward to Heaven, but it is by no means a wish to leave my family. I would love to have a long life on earth, lots of time with my family and friends, and time to serve the Lord here with the life I have been given. Despite the physical challenges I face, I really do love life. I love being with my family. I love talking to my friends. I enjoy blogging, crocheting, and reading. I like to look at pretty things, and I like to make pretty things. I love to play, and I find a lot of joy in this life.

At the same time, though, I am sad that I can't still run, hike, and go rapelling. I wish I could do the cooking, cleaning, and shopping for Will. It breaks my heart when William wants me to take him outside, and I physically can't. I'm sad when Will and William go off to the zoo and I have to stay home. It hurts when I see my friends taking walks outside with their children and I am stuck at home alone. I miss out on a lot of things. I don't fit in with a lot of people because my life is so different. People don't get it. It hurts. Sometimes it hurts so badly that I just cry and grieve again what I lost.

I am so thankful for the life I have been given, and at the same time I look forward to Heaven when my life will be even better. While I am lying down on the floor playing Go Fish with William I enjoy that time with him. I cherish the moment, but I also look forward to the day when William and I will be able to run along the beach in Heaven. When I put my flowers in my flower pots I enjoy and appreciate the beauty that they add, and I have fun doing it, exhausting though it is. The small enjoyment I get in planting a few flowers in pots gives me just a glimmer of the joy that awaits in Heaven when I will have the energy to take care of a whole garden! I enjoy the flowers here and now, and I smile because I know that one day it will be even better.

Knowing what awaits in Heaven makes it so much easier to miss out on things here and now. If I didn't have Heaven to look forward to, then I really don't think I could truly appreciate and enjoy life. If this life was all I had, I would be a miserable mess. I would probably be angry, bitter, and depressed. While I do long for Heaven, I also appreciate the here and now. It is knowing what awaits in Heaven that makes this life full of joy and worth it all.

"For we know that our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all" (2 Corinthians 4:17, NIV). It is because of Jesus that I have hope and joy. It is because of Jesus that I can enjoy this present life.

Girly Feet

Spring is here. It is time for feet to come out of winter socks and step into the sunshine. Yesterday I painted Adelaide's toenails for the first time. She can now sit outside with me in style.

Easter Egg Hunt 2010

We recently had an Easter egg hunt with our neighbors. What a fun afternoon it was! Before the hunt took place I used the Resurrection Eggs to tell the Easter story. It is fun to have an Easter egg hunt, but we must remember the reason for which we celebrate!

I rarely have the opportunity to teach anymore because it is usually not something I can physically do. It took me three full days to recover from the party and from teaching, but it was so very worth it!

The children enjoying their snacks while anxiously awaiting for the hunt!

Adelaide at her first Easter egg hunt party


Searching for eggs

A big sister sweetly helps her little sister.

Alaythia

Children excitedly running everywhere! It was hard to get pictures because the children were usually out of the frame by the time the camera snapped.

After the hunt the children all sat down to find out what kind of treats and toys were hiding in their eggs.....

....except for Collins. He decided to play in the dirt. So Collins!

I am so thankful for the many friends and neighbors we have who were able to join us in celebrating Easter.

Happy Easter!

He Is Risen!

Because He Lives

God sent His Son, they called Him Jesus,
He came to love, heal, and forgive.
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

Because He lives I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future.
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

Words: Bill and Gloria Gaither

Photo: The Simple Front Porch