I Need a Mountain...

                                                                  "to be alone"
                       "by himself to pray"
     "there alone"
                                                                "up a high mountain to be alone"
                                     "isolated place to pray"
                                                                                                  "by ourselves to a quiet place"
 "by himself to pray"
                                                "so they could be alone"
                                                                                           "up a high mountain to be alone"
                  "withdrew to the wilderness for prayer"
 "went up on a mountain to pray"
                                                            "up on a mountain to pray"

It's no wonder moms seem frazzled or scatter-brained. No wonder we spout off the wrong child's names or forget where we put that very important paper that we just knew we would remember. We desperately need ALONE time.

Every woman will try and find a way to acquire this coveted "alone time" - either by curling up with a good book, settling into a hot bubble bath, sitting on the porch with a cup of their favorite coffee blend, becoming engulfed in the latest TV "doctor-drama" (pic below), or maybe even locking the bedroom door and hiding from your children.

McDreamy (in case you didn't know)

But, the kind of alone time I'm talking about is not the short-lived moments of quietness that leave you feeling the same as it did in the beginning - emotionally drained or weary or depressed or whatever you may have been feeling. The type of alone time I'm talking about is the kind Jesus also needed and the kind he made a priority to have.

The phrases above were taken from the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke (haven't made it through John yet). Look at what Jesus faced daily - "heal me," "fix me," "forgive me," "cast out this demon," "bring my child back to life," "make me clean," "me, me, me." Not to mention all of the religious people who were constantly trying to trap him and find a way to discredit him. He was always traveling, always meeting with people, and always serving. If anyone needed alone time it was Jesus. But he didn't need it for himSELF. He needed it to draw closer to his Father. WE need it to draw closer to our Father - it's the only way to make it through each day, each week, each month, each year...each minute!

So, my challenge to you (and me) is to find a quiet, secluded place where we can be alone. We may not have mountains in Charleston but we can certainly find a place where we can meet with our Father. We desperately need it...

Salad Secret...Shhhh...

Mmmmm...

Wow, this salad looks awesome, right? Look at those nicely torn romaine lettuce pieces...and that perfectly grated parmesan cheese...and those homemade croutons! Wait! Homemade croutons? NOT!

Tip: Buy the Publix bread chips (plain or flavored) and cut or break for instant amazing croutons! And, the best part, check out the price on the container...CHEAP! Not to mention there were a ton of bread chips left over and these are awesome in bruschetta (homemade recipe for another blog another day). Hope this was a helpful tip! I have to thank my bakery friend at Publix for giving me this tip (thank you Publix bakery lady!) Bon Appetit!

Happy Working Song

This is how I start out in the morning...

 But THIS is how I end up...an angry Cinderella

("you want me to clean WHAT?!", "If it's not in the laundry room, it's not getting washed!", "Kids, come back to the table and clear your places...Kids...kiiiids....Kids!") 

Ok, seriously, it's not this dramatic, but you get the picture. What happened to the calm, in control, good-spirited, willing, helpful, servant that woke up in the morning with a cheerful attitude and to-do list? Maybe we put TOO much on our to-do list. Maybe we aren't that good at time management or multi-tasking. Maybe we are just too anxious to complete EVERY task and get easily overwhelmed. Regardless, I tell Matt all the time that "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41). There are so many days that I wish my husband could come home to a spotless house, with an amazing dinner on the table, clean faces, some nice Tomlin playing in the background, orderly children...but most of the time he steps over kid shoes at the door, has to wait 45-minutes until dinner is ready, sees children that look like they've rolled in the mud yet want to hug you just the same, and I wonder if he's immediately stressed out when he walks through the door. I know he's appreciate that we're just home with him. But, still, I have standards for the "type of wife" I want to be, so it's easy to become overwhelmed and disappointed in yourself at the end of another typical day.


I'm not really sure what my point is other than to encourage myself (and you) to start fresh each day. After our, God's mercies start afresh each morning (Lamentations 3:23). So, why shouldn't ours? Start with mercy on yourself. Set a few small goals that you can complete. Or, instead of doing it like I do and cramming it all into one day's worth of work, spread it out over the week. I think I'll try that this week coming up. Who's with me?!

Great Balls of Fire!

Before you begin reading this blog, say a prayer that you will receive wisdom and understanding (seriously, close your eyes...pray...)

Now, read these verses from Luke 9 (Oh, and just some background on where you are in the story: Jesus and His Disciples have been going town to town healing people and teaching the Good News and Jesus' followers have seen some pretty miraculous things so they are "on fire" for God and ready to take on the world!)

⁵¹ As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. ⁵²And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; ⁵³ but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” ⁵⁵ But Jesus turned and rebuked them. ⁵⁶ Then he and his disciples went to another village. (Luke 9:51-56).

You know what sticks out to me the most? James' and John's statement, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" How often do we say things like, "what goes around comes around," or "I hope s/he gets what s/he deserves," or even the extreme statements like what some people were posting after a not-so-popular murder trial aired on T.V. How quickly James and John jumped to destroy these people who had wronged Jesus - their Teacher and Friend. It's so easy for Christians to say Jesus loves you and Christians are so forgiving and caring - but really, how often are we so eager to "call fire down from heaven" and destroy others? I get that at times we want justice served - but aren't you thankful that we have a Savior who has chosen to take our place where we are by default "guilty"? I am!

Did you catch the next part in the passage? Jesus turned "and rebuked them." The word "rebuke" according to Meriam-Webster means to criticize sharply. The Greek meaning has several definitions, some including "to tax with fault" or "to admonish or charge sharply." Either way, Jesus was not happy with their immediate response to such meanness and disobedience from the Samaritan village. Some manuscripts have added one additional response from Jesus - "You don't realize what your hearts are like. For the Son of Man has not come to destroy people's lives but to save them."

So, ok, the moral of the story...if we are to serve Christ and share the Gospel with others, our message should not be the "turn or burn" speech or "judge lest ye be judged" or whatever that one is. Jesus cared about saving people, so we should care about leading them to Jesus.

Your challenge? STOP calling down fire from heaven on people! Next time you're angry with someone or upset at the outcome of something or for whatever reason just want to call on your Jesus powers to create raining fire balls, stop and think of how Jesus rebuked James and John. And pray that there's some way Jesus can show you how to reach that person. Then, just as they did, move on to "another village."

Good Christian Panties

So, my mom sent me this video today of a pastor dressed as a woman doing a lecture on the ungodliness of thong underwear. Of course, I laughed and had to share with all of you - but then it got me thinking - are thongs really ungodly? Is there a such thing as "good Christian panties" as the video states? 

Watch this and then I'll tell you what I think...

Ok, so here's what I came up with...motive...WHY wear a thong? Are they cheaper than regular underwear? Better functionality? Comfort (hehe - yeah right!)? Ladies, you will all have different opinions on this. Here's what I can tell you - if someone views thongs as ungodly it's probably because they see them as allowing more of the body to show than the opposite trusty 'ol "granny panties." But if you think about it - look at all the different styles of underwear a girl has to choose from...

Boy Shorts

Cotton Panties

Briefs

Hi-Cut Panties

Lace Panties

Bikini

Low-Rise

Hipsters

Bikini Low-Rise Hipsters

Seamless

Thong

Shapers

I mean, REALLY! What's a girl to do! It's stressful enough standing in Walmart (with everyone staring at you) trying to figure out which size you are, then realizing the ONE pack you find that's the color you want is only offered in hipster, boy short, or hi-cut! It's no wonder we try and buy something that looks like a one-size-fits-all-string! 

To me, under garments are a personal choice so I will not be sharing my preference for underwear on this blog...I don't think there's a such thing as "good Christian panties." Personally, I think as long as your panties are seated on a church pew every Sunday, that's the important thing! :) 

"Worthy of His Praise" - What's That About?

I thought long and hard about the title of my blog site and eventually ended up with "Worthy of His Praise." Obviously, the "His" part isn't referring to my son or husband or any other human man in my life. I'm referring to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I struggle daily, as I'm sure most women do, with what my purpose is in life - "Should I have a full-time, high-salaried job? Should I quit altogether and stay home? Why am I so exhausted all the time? Why do I never feel like I measure up compared to other wives and mothers? When will the laundry stop?!" But, I think an even better question is, "WHO am I doing all this for?"

So...over the past few months I've come to a realization - I'm not doing all of this for my kids or husband (although of course I strive to serve them daily); I'm not doing all of this to meet some expectation of a woman society has made up; I'm not even doing this to satisfy ME. I do it all for Him - Christ. Why? I have always been encouraged by what Paul wrote in Colossians: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." (Col. 3:23-24). This particular passage in context was written to address slaves who worked for an earthly master. But, as moms and wives, isn't that what we do? We are slaves to dirty dishes, laundry, bills, responsibilities at the office, homework, deadlines, and grocery lines. BUT, if we can just adjust our mindset and heart to doing these things "as working for the Lord" it not only makes it more satisfying and rewarding - but it pleases Him.

So, "Worthy of His Praise" is about the day-to-day journey of working and living for a greater purpose - living to be worthy of His praise...

My Blogging Disclaimer

In creating this blog, I'm hoping to share life with others. I might post a really awesome recipe, share a funny story, offer some very deep insight, talk about unusual things, rant and rave about nothing, review scripture, or share some song lyrics. Regardless, my plan is to be random and real. In doing this, please understand that I'm human, I'm not perfect, I'm learning every day, I don't have an answer for every question, I'm not a Biblical scholar (I'm a Business major), and I don't really have a theme for my blogs. Feel free to send me your comments - I'd love to know what you think! Enjoy!