I’m hesitant to review this book because I know the author has taken an indefinite leave from public ministry but for reasons not mentioned. Nevertheless, Ginger Plowman has been a very helpful resource to me when it comes to parenting, and I think this book can also be useful to wives and mothers who desire to please the Lord by the way they manage their homes. The book is somewhat of a fly-by overview of the various components of establishing a peaceful home. There a five major sections to the book, each of which plays an important part in being able to make your home a haven of rest and peace: 1) Understanding our identity in Christ and finding joy in our relationship with Him; 2) Being unified with your husband and cultivating unity among siblings; 3) Establishing and ensuring right relationships with those around us (including in-laws, friends and our children); 4) Requiring obedience from our children (much of this section is taken from her other book “Don’t Make Me Count to Three“); 5) Bringing structure to your days and organizing your home/life. As with Plowman’s other book, her writing is fun and very practical. I especially loved the section on marriage which brought up some great questions that fostered really beneficial conversations with my husband. If you are one who desires more order and organization to your days and/or home, she also has some very, very practical suggestions in the last section. Again, while I’m not completely sure of the author’s current circumstances, I do think this book is a great read for all homemakers and one that I will probably refer back to in the years to come.
Heaven at Home – Book Review December 22, 2009
How Now Shall I Pray? December 20, 2009
A particular verse has been circling my mind since we received the news about M’s court date…
With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of His calling, and that by His power He may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by faith. 1 Thessalonians 1:11
D. A. Carson says this about the latter part of the verse: “This is simply marvelous. Assuming Christians will develop such wholesome and spiritually minded purposes, Paul now prays that God Himself may take these purposes and so work them out as to bring them to fruition, to fulfillment. The truth is that unless God works in us and through us, unless God empowers these good purposes of ours, they will not engender any enduring spiritual fruit; they will not display any life-transforming, people changing power…we must intercede with God that He, by His great power, might bring these good purposes, these faith-prompted acts, to bountiful fruitfulness” (A Call to Spiritual Reformation, pp 56-57).
Without question, the decision to adopt M was an act prompted by faith. Kevin and I began our adoption journey with the intention of bringing home one baby girl from Ethiopia. Magnificently, the Lord used the precious life of Baby Max-Abush to open our hearts to adopting a baby boy instead. While waiting on a second referral for a baby boy, God turned our eyes to a picture of a four-year old boy who was waiting for a family. Something about the picture struck a chord in my heart and for two days, I could think of nothing but this little boy. “Surely God would not call us to something this crazy, right?” “People will think we are nuts…two kids at the same time?” “We would be interrupting the birth order and making Molly Kate a middle child…that’s insane!” “How will we afford it?” All of these questions and many other doubts battled in my mind. But the Lord continued to tug at my heart and His promises kept speaking louder than the doubts.
- Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
- Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
- And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
- A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, is God in His holy habitation. God makes a home for the lonely;
And as Kevin and I began even slowly opening up our hearts to the possibility, it seemed God was making more and more clear that this was one of the children He intended for us to adopt. The decision had to be made somewhat quickly because we also received our referral for W and didn’t want to wait too long for our agency to file his papers with the courts. We also knew if we were going to adopt both, we wanted them filed together in hopes of only making one trip to pick them up. So we prayed earnestly, sought much wise counsel and after many discussions, finally aligned ourselves with what we believe God was purposing in our hearts and decided to adopt M.
Now, over 11 months later, as I pray for God to make this five-year old boy a part of our family, I believe I can confidently ask Him to fullfill this good purpose, this act that was entirely prompted by faith. He began this adoption, not us, and I trust Him entirely to complete it. How now shall I pray as we approach this 5th court date that lands in our 12th month of waiting on this little boy to come home? I shall pray boldly, humbly and faithfully that God, in His glorious power, will fulfill our good purpose to make this boy our son and that by doing so, He will be exalted and glorified. And I pray that the final fulfillment of this faith-prompted act would be M coming to know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior…that would be “bountiful fruitfulness”!
Will 2010 be the year? December 18, 2009
We just received a court date for M…January 1, 2010! If we pass, what a way to start the new year! As you all have followed our journey and prayed for us often, we ask that you especially pray these next two weeks that God would allow M to finally have a family. I know He can do it.
Love and Loss and a Life Well Lived December 18, 2009
This has been a hard and sweet week. When I arrived as a freshmen on the campus of Ole Miss over nine years ago, I had no idea what wonderful relationships the Lord had in store for me. One of the many that came about quickly was with a precious, sunny-faced junior named Melissa. She took me in quickly, was a part of the sorority I later joined and became one of those people who I often went to for advice and counsel. About two months later, she introduced me to her brother Brannon and during the short time that we dated, I came to know a family that the Lord would make a part of my life forever. His parents, Mrs. Janet and Dr. Jack, welcomed me into their lives and they’ve been a part of mine ever since. My sophomore year, God gave me a new friend named Catherine and five years later she married Brannon! Yep, I was definitely going to know this Kahlstorf family for a long time! I joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ in 2003 and the Kahlstorfs (Dr. Jack and Mrs. Janet, Melissa and her hubby Tom, and Brannon and Catherine) lovingly gave me great financial support. Then, last summer, I witnessed one of God’s sweetest mercies through this family. I was visiting my sister in Oxford and began to miscarry our second child. Being 7 hours from home, I knew there was no way to get back for surgery here. Trying so hard not to panic, I called Brannon and Catherine who quickly got in touch with Dr. Jack (a very successful OB-GYN) and he told me to come to his office immediately. I knew the baby had died before we even went into the ultrasound, and in one of the most difficult times of my life, I couldn’t help but thank God for providing me a doctor who was also a friend. Dr. Jack performed my D & C the next day and so compassionately cared for Kevin and I as we grieved the loss of our baby. He was quick to remind us of God’s good plan and that there was nothing we could have done to prevent the loss. The whole situation was covered with an air of comfort because my doctor knew me and I knew he would take care of us. A very sweet mercy indeed.
This summer, I received a call from my sister that left me crying for the rest of the day. Dr. Jack had been diagnosed with Stage IV non-smoker’s lung cancer. I knew what a determined man Dr. Jack was and I knew he would fight the cancer with an intense battle. I also knew God could heal him if He so willed, and so Kevin and I prayed often that the chemo would be effective and that God might give him more time on this earth. This past Saturday, December 12th, Dr. Jack received his victory over cancer as God took him home to heaven. On Monday, Molly Kate and I loaded up for Mississippi so that I could attend the services and let this family know once again how precious they are to me.
I knew it would be a hard week. I love this family so dearly and am still so broken that one they loved so much is gone. But, I never could have guessed how sweet a time it would also be as the Lord reminded me of what true faith looks like and the legacy of a life well lived. Dr. Jack was a great man…he was an incredible doctor, he adored his wife, he treasured his children and now grandchildren. But above these great things, he loved the Lord Jesus Christ and sought to live his life so as to honor Him. He made the most of every opportunity and as his friends and pastors gave testimony to such a life, I was challenged to do the same with mine. In the quiet moments, my mind often drifts to Mrs. Janet. She served her husband these last few months with great sacrifice and faithfulness…what an amazing witness to the beauty of Christian marriage and God’s strength being shown through her in the most difficult time of her life. I will pray for her often in the days, weeks and months to come, trusting that the God who sustained her so beautifully through these last months will continue to do so as she walks through this life without her earthly partner. But I believe one of the most convicting parts of the whole week for me was what came through the words of their oldest daughter and my friend, Melissa. Melissa had kept everyone updated on Dr. Jack’s treatments through a CaringBridge website. In her final post, she wrote this:
We prayed for healing and a miracle, and we got them, although not in our human terms – Dad is healthy and free from pain walking the streets of Heaven. And our miracles have been numerous, especially in recent days…
She then listed the miracles they had witnessed, including the early arrival of her third son and Dr. Jack’s namesake. Because Baby Jack came early, Dr. Jack was able to briefly get to know his newest grandson and felt good enough to enjoy him. I read Melissa’s words again and again and thought “this is how eyes of faith see the world.” Though she prayed one type of miracle and healing, when God brought a different one, she still recognized it as the miracle and praised God for it. Only faith can see like this. May God grant me such eyes to see His work in my life (even when it’s not exactly what I asked for). And may the God of all comfort bring His peace and love to this family as they continue to trust His sovereign plan in the most difficult of sorrows.
Happy 5th Birthday M! December 16, 2009
Our (soon-to-be) oldest son turns 5 today! Well, technically, his birthday is almost over in Ethiopia. As hard as I know this day is going to be for me and as sad as I am that he’s not home to celebrate his birthday with his family, I praise God for knitting this precious child together in his mother’s womb and causing my husband and I to see his picture over 4 years later and half-way around the world. This little boy who isn’t even in my day-to-day life yet has already changed me in more ways than I can count. Over the last year, we’ve received several videos of M and his quiet, smiley personality has completely won our hearts. I cannot wait to let this little boy know every day how much we love him and how we thank God for him. Father, please continue to love him and care for him magnificently in our absence.
Christ This Christmas with Kids (well, one kid!) December 10, 2009
So, what are we doing to help focus Molly Kate’s heart on Christ this Christmas? First of all, a recommendation from Noel Piper in Treasuring God in Our Traditions, we have placed one of our nativity scenes as the centerpiece on our kitchen table. Without fail, Baby Jesus in the arms of his mommy, Mary, sparks a discussion each time we gather around the table to eat. Secondly, we have a stack of books on our coffee table that tell a slightly different version of the Christmas story. She and I will read at least one or two of these daily:
- The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado
- Born on Christmas Morn by Melinda Kay Busch (recommended by a friend and I really like this one)
- Room for a Little One by Martin Waddell
- The Tale of Three Trees by Angela Elwell Hunt
- One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham (she’s not quite ready for this one)
- Countdown to Christmas (this is a daily read with fun activities and a verse for each day)
And my favorite part of each day is our evening family worship time where Kevin will read one of the above books and the Molly Kate enjoys the privilege of opening up that day’s door on our Advent calendar and adding the piece to the manger scene. She absolutely loves it! At the moment, we’ve mostly only opened up the animals, so they are currently lined up in “choo-choo train” fashion in the grassy section of the scene! Afterwards, we sing one Christmas hymn (her current favorite is Away in a Manger) and then our regular nightly hymn, “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus.”
What’s encouraging in all of this is that you can see her beginning to comprehend the story and why it’s important. Of course she has a long way to go in fully understanding the Incarnation, but we pray that God would use these seeds that we are planting to grow a deep faith and love for Jesus in her heart.
Christ This Christmas December 7, 2009
I’ll be the first to admit it…I love Christmastime! What I hate is that so much of my love for this time of year is wrapped up in the nostalgia and many warm memories of growing up and music and decorating and not as much a love for my Savior and a passion to glorify Him as I celebrate His birth. But this year, I really wanted it to be different. It started by deciding not to travel during the month of December. Both of our families live several hundred miles away and to visit means the chaos of packing up all our stuff and our dog, driving for two days and staying several days to make the trip worthwhile. While I love getting to be with everyone, the rush of making a huge trip this time of year always does a great job of taking my mind off of Christ and focusing on all the responsibilities of traveling. So, we are staying planted this month!
Secondly, I purchased a book titled “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus,” a collection of 22 readings and meditations for Advent. I read the first one today (the book just arrived yesterday) and I can already see how helpful these daily selections are going to be in turning my attention, heart and soul toward Christ this season. I’m greatly looking forward to a month of dwelling on my Lord’s great love toward me and the great salvation He bought for me with His life.
Lastly, we have several daily activities for Molly Kate to help her understand Jesus’ birth and why we celebrate Christmas. By taking so much time each day to teach her the Christmas story, I’m finding that I am thinking about the birth of my Lord throughout the day. Hopefully I can share more this week about these particular activities and some of the great books we’re using with her.
Of course, all of my efforts to focus on Christ this Christmas are vain without the aid of the Holy Spirit. And so, I have prayed that God would grant me His Spirit and help me to think deeply about His Son for the purpose of growing my affections toward Jesus and that in the end, God may be more glorified in and through me. May the Lord open all of our hearts, give us understanding and help us to comprehend how truly magnificent the miracle of our Savior’s birth.
Orange Fruit Salad December 5, 2009
This is one of those recipes that we grew up with around the holidays, so every December I begin craving it! It’s super easy to make, looks fabulous in a glass or crystal bowl and tastes great!
Ingredients:
2 packages of strawberries
4-5 bananas
1 cantaloupe (optional…I don’t like it, so it’s usually omitted from my version)
2 cans of diced pineapple, in juice
2 cans of mandarin oranges, in juice
1 can of sliced peaches, in juice (not heavy syrup)
2 packages of instant vanilla pudding
1 package of orange kool-aid mix
Directions:
Slice strawberries and bananas. Cut cantaloupe, if using. Drain cans of fruit, but make sure to save the juice from one pineapple, one mandarin orange and the can of peaches in a large bowl. Add drained fruit to sliced fresh fruit. Combine the saved fruit juices, vanilla pudding and kool-aid mix. Beat with electric mixer on medium-high for approx. 5 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken. Pour sauce over fruit and toss.
Twinkle, Twinkle December 4, 2009
My little girl loves to sing…she walks around playing and just making up songs as she goes. I love that she already seems intrinsically drawn to music. This morning, I heard her wake up in her room and begin several rounds of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”. Well she must have had it stuck in her head all day and after much listening today, I decided my favorite verse was the one that went like this… “Up a bubba world no high.” Oh, how I love toddler interpretations…it certainly brought many smiles to my day!
My Dad and Extreme Makeover Home Edition November 30, 2009
I was waiting until it was safe to “announce” this very cool news…my dad’s company (AAA Homes of MS, LLC) was selected a few weeks ago to be the lead builder for an Extreme Makeover project in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. My father has always been one to give a helping hand and go out of his way at times to care for those in need, so its neat to see the Lord give him this incredible opportunity to give a home to a deserving family and gain wonderful publicity for his company! While visiting my family a few weeks ago, I got to see first-hand the unbelievable amount of work that goes into this show and what’s even more unbelievable is that the builder is the one most responsible for pretty much everything we end up seeing on TV! My dad has put in countless hours over the last few weeks and its all leading up to this Thursday, December 3rd when they knock on the door of the family’s current home and get to work! Please pray for my dad and all of those who have donated time and resources to make this possible. Go here to read all about it!
