What God Can Do

Today at church I heard the most amazing testimony by James Robison. It's worth retelling.

James' conception was the result of rape. His father was an alcoholic who raped his 40-year-old single mother. His mother tried to abort him, but the doctor she went to refused so she gave birth and decided to give him to a preacher and his wife. He lived his first 5 years with the preacher (whom he called Daddy) and his wife (Mommy) and visited his mother off and on. Even though the couple wanted to adopt him, his mother refused, and at 5 decided that she was going to take James away from them. James said it was the scariest and saddest moment of his life. He remembers his mommy collapsing and sobbing on the floor and his daddy begging his mother to not take him away. He ran to hide under the bed, but his mother drug him out by his ankles and took him away from the only home he had ever known.

Since his mother didn't have a job, money or a home, they hitchhiked across the country staying with various relatives, friends, or anyone that would open their doors to them. He would sit on the side of the highway on a brown cardboard suitcase that he, to this day, displays in his office. He moved 17 times before he was in the 6th grade, so he never had any friends. His Daddy and Mommy tried to keep in touch with him, sending him letters and gifts, but one day, it all stopped and he didn't know why. He decided that it was because they didn't love him anymore. He grew to trust no one. Later he learned that his mother, because of her jealousy, returned all the gifts to his "adopted" parents and asked them not to send anymore.

It gets worse before it gets better; at 14 his alcoholic father reenters their lives and becomes abusive and one night tries to choke his mother to death. He grabs his rifle, tells his father that if he moves an inch, he will blow a hole into him...and he means it. Shortly after that, his father is sent to prison. At 16 his mother gives him an incredible gift. She says he can go visit the preacher and his wife for a week. Apprehensively, he calls them, not sure if they want to see him, thinking that they have forgotten about him. They both start sobbing on the phone and tell him they will come the next morning to get him. They arrive in an air-conditoned car (which he had never been in) and take him back to the house where he had lived 11 years ago. They shower him with their love and tell him that they never stopped praying for him. In fact, the whole church had been praying for him.

That week, on Sunday night, at his Daddy's church, James listened to the testimonies of the various youth get up and talk about what Jesus meant to them. Sure, James had heard of Jesus, he had tried church and religion before, but these kids were talking about Jesus as if they had a relationship with him. Later his Daddy asked if anyone wanted to ask Jesus into their heart and come to the alter. James wanted to, but he was scared. He looks up and sees his mommy walking down the isle towards him, holding onto her glasses because she is crying so hard, and she grabs James' hand and says, "I'll go with you." For the first time, James felt a love that was indescribable wash over him. He wasn't the bastard child of a rape victim, but a wanted and loved child of God. His life meant something; Jesus was willing to be crucified on a cross and shed his blood so that James could have eternal life. He was free of shame, of anger, of bitterness and unforgiveness because Jesus took that burden on himself; he didn't have to carry it anymore.

By 19, James was a preacher and was traveling and evangelizing with the likes of Billy Graham in football stadiums, coliseums and the largest churches in America. He has led thousands to know Christ. For 20 years he has founded and ran an organization called Life Outreach International that has fed thousands of starving children and since 2000 has drilled more than 1500 wells in villages worldwide.

I had to retell this story because it touched me so much. The power of the holy spirit is so awesome and inspiring! God has used James to fulfil the promise that he has for us all; that we are here for a reason. To love each other; to reach out to the sick, needy, broken souls; to share the good news of Jesus.

Now I have shared it with you.

20 years???

My 20 year high school reunion is fast approaching. I'm amazed it's been that long...can I really be this old? What happened to the girl that could eat anything and never gain a pound? Those days are long gone, but actually, I wouldn't trade places with her. My high school memories leave me feeling sad for that girl I remember. She was unsure of herself; she was searching for love in all the wrong places (isn't that a song?); she wasn't happy. If I could take a time capsule backwards to 1985-1987, I would do it all so differently. Even though painful, I suppose that time in my life were growing pains that needed to be experienced.

So on October 13th I will relive some of those memories, and hopefully, find some good ones along the way. I will see familiar faces that were apart of that experience for me and wonder how many I will recognize. For some reason, I want to vindicate that teenage girl and show them the woman I have become. In actuality, I'm sure that's why a lot of people go to their high school reunions; not to relive the good ole days, but to prove that they survived.

Here's to the survivors! I'll see you soon.

Click and watch! So cute!
http://flagrantdisregard.com/index.php/2007/09/17/parenting-in-d/

A Mother's Love

After reading my cousin's blog on her parents, it inspired me to write something about my mom and motherhood. So mom, this is dedicated to you.

I feel so blessed to be a woman. How amazing it is that God gave us the ability to give life; to feel a child kicking in your womb and knowing that he/she is growing inside you. There is no greater gift, but with that gift comes great responsibility. I sometimes wonder if I am up for the task. I worry that I'm not wise enough, patient enough, playful enough. I spend my days reinventing ways to discipline my children using charts, checks, threats, bribes. I read all the latest child-rearing books, and yet, I still feel inadequate as a mother. One thing I know for sure: I love them. I hope they know how much they are truly loved.

Having my own children made me appreciate my mother so much. It has taken me a long time to realize just how wise my mother is; how strong she is; how unconditional her love is. Except for God's love, I will never experience another love so devoted and pure. My mother gives herself fully to me and is always my biggest champion. She believes I can do anything! She once said that she was put on this earth to be my mother; I gave her a purpose. I feel so blessed that she raised me to love God, and although I haven't always lived my life for Him, she never stopped praying for me. She sacrificed so much as a single mom, worked so hard and always had my best interest at heart. I regret not taking all the advice she gave me because most of the time, she was right. Now, I value her opinion so much and learn from her daily. She is my friend, my rock, my Spiritual mentor, but most of all...she is my mother.

Thank you, mom, for giving me life and for your unconditional love. I hope you know how much you are truly loved.

The Big "7"

Yesterday, we celebrated Alex's 7th birthday! It proved to be a sensational event for us all...and I got some good lessons to boot. Here's how it unfolded:

Alex's day was to begin with a birthday announcement and dance on the O.C. Taylor Morning Show! He was very excited and gave me a sample of his birthday dance while I was preparing his breakfast. I tenderly explained that he might not want to flail his arms about as to not hit the kid next to him...I wonder if he took my advice? Rod and I promised we would meet him for lunch in the cafeteria, and after careful and precise instructions, I brought him some Chick-Fe-Le chicken strips, honey-mustard sauce, fries and a Sprite. Rod was a big hit with the first-grade girls that joined us at our table...he has such a way with the ladies! While the boy sitting next to Alex decided to put his cucumber slices on his eyes, which promptly fell into his tomato soup, the girls sitting across from me told me their life-stories (apparently, a lot has happened in their 6 years of life). Whew, girls can talk! When asking boys about their day, I usually get one-syllable answers such as: "nah", "yeah", "fine", "good". I received a good lesson about little girls that day: they are just as silly (if not more) as boys and they like bathroom humor just as much. It was an eventful lunch!

The rest of my afternoon was spent cleaning, wrapping presents and baking a cake, which Aidan decided to stab with the butter knife when I left to answer the phone. Another good lesson: Icing and sprinkles can disguise any imperfections.

I had made reservations for Alex's favorite Italian Restaurant, and the boys and I met Rod, Mam-maw and Grandma Pat and Pa promptly at 6:00 pm. Lesson number three: Always drink wine when going out to eat with three boys.

Afterwards, we came back to our house for cake, ice cream and opening presents. We invited our neighbors and their children over too. Lesson number four: don't bother mopping the kitchen floors before company arrives; it's a waste of time.

After tucking my older boys into bed last night, I was dog tired, but happy. I kissed my husband and said, "We have a good life." We are blessed.

Happy Birthday, Alex!

Back to Reality

!Hola Amigos y Amigas! We safely arrived yesterday from our vacation rendezvous in Playa Del Carmen...and back to reality! We were so elated to see the boys, my mom, Liza, Maggie and our house...but three temper tantrums later, I woefully said to Rod, "I think our vacation is over!"

Our time spent in Playa was the most disgusting display of laziness one has ever witnessed. We slept late, ate breakfast, laid out on the beach or pool, drank cocktails, took naps, ate lunch, laid out some more, drank some more, ate dinner, took a midnight stroll or gab fest on the beach, played ping pong or pool in the game room, went to bed and started it all over again the next day. We varied our meals, our clothing and bathing suits and we did go to the local markets to barter and to get massages (the best I'd ever had); otherwise, we relished every moment of degeneracy that we could muster. Rod and I discovered we were quite skilled at doing nothing and decided that we could definitely get used to our new lifestyle. Perhaps we held the winning $369 million lottery ticket we purchased before we left for vacation...our return marked the beginning of a new life where we could retire to a secluded tropical paradise...but, alas, it was not meant to be...a man in Houston (and 3 out-of-staters) claimed our prize. Hopefully, they are as skilled as we are at doing nothing.

Besides our slovenness, we laughed...and I mean we laughed a lot. It was as cleansing to my soul as the R&R. Our trip mates were my in-laws, Pat and Van, and our friends and neighbors, Allen and Mette. This unique combination of individuals, including ourselves, made for quite a humor-filled 5 days. It started when we arrived at the airport and Van and Mette were singled out as "Special Security Check". They both look very suspicious; after all, most terrorists are grumpy 68 year-old bald men and fair, petite women from Norway. They didn't fool anyone. I, however, was offered to be accompanied on my trip by one of the stellar security guards who was standing by a sign that read "No jokes, please" while poor Van and Mette were being stripped searched and put into a capsule that shot fast and loud puffs of air all over their bodies. I later learned that this was to detect any chemicals or powders that they could have been using to make a bomb. Their shoes, belts, glasses, wallets, etc...were tested for residue. I now felt extremely confident my companions were not going to hijack our plane. However, I was somewhat suspicious of "Gus" in airport security....he was still smiling at me.

Some other highlights were, of course, Van's amazing "9-lives" that he continues to tempt fate with. He tends to be accident prone, but even with a fall down the resort lobby stairs and a backward somersault out of his beach chair, he only got a sprained ankle. Which we somehow have several pictures of.

Rod decided to liven up our party by daring Allen to do embarrassing, dangerous, or ridiculous acts for a nominal fee. We dubbed Allen "Rod's Dare-Whore". I finally had to put an end to this after I realized Rod was throwing our money away so he could watch Allen jump into a waterfall and pose for pictures like a super model. I mean, enough was enough!

Awww such memories! It was the best of times....:)