Fix Or Repair Daily

Psalm 20:7 ~ "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God."


Some are familiar with our ongoing issues with 'the truck'. As one of my dear friends likes to say, "FORD stands for Fix Or Repair Daily." Regardless of our vehicular loyalties, we all have put our trust in the ability of man-made things.


This weekend, my chariot, with all it's 274 horses, failed me. Halfway between point A and point B, it just quit. I was frustrated, angry, hurt (that my beautiful symbol of strength had let me down) and unsure about what to do. Stranded on the side of the road, I was hit with the reality of the uncertainty of anything except the Lord our God.

What are we putting our trust in? Is it some material thing that we believe will never let us down, or possibly our ability to do and achieve? Maybe we need to be reminded that our life, our strength, our hope is in the Lord Almighty.

Maybe F.O.R.D. ought to be our spiritual standard. Now THAT's a better idea!

My girls and I watch old comedy/love stories. One of our favorites is “If a Man Answers.” with Sandra Dee and Bobby Darren.

In the film Sandra Dee’s mother tells her to use a pet training book to help her marriage. She uses the book thinking all along that she is “training” her husband until her mother points out that it has actually been training her.

Now, you may be asking “What was the purpose in that little story?” Well, ladies, if we stop and think about it; we love, cuddle, and spoil our pets. Imagine if we treated our husbands the same way. We should shower them with praise. We want our husband to be our “Knight in Shining Armor” so maybe we should treat him like he is. We need to acknowledge the things he does in a way that makes him feel worthwhile and needed.

Also, how many times have we wanted our husband to go shopping with us or to a romantic movie? But, how many times has he gone hunting, fishing, golfing, or any number of things and we had no interest in sharing it with him. Maybe, if we took the time to be interested in his interests, he would not mind so much making that trip to the mall or the flee market.

So, I am putting my theory to the test. Will you join me? Let me know what you discover.

Travelling this road together,

Darla

A Bit Behind and a Little Distressed

In this amazingly connected world, I am in a place that has 'limited or no connectivity'. That means no Man-stuff Monday yesterday. It puts me a little behind for the week, but brings to mind an interesting conundrum of our time.

With our ability to communicate so close at our fingertips, why do we seem to be so distant? Why are we, the followers of Christ, making less of an impact on the society in which we live? Why are we as parents so disconnected from our children?

It seems as though our ability to communicate more freely has only aided in making us more exclusive in our communication. We get into our huddles, be they in person or via online communities, and bask in our encouragement of one another. We have multitudes of friends online, but forget the importance of interaction with our spouse and children. I update my status, but forget to update my relationships.

Who have we impacted today? Does someone know more about Christ because of me? Has my spouse had real contact from me? (it's ok, I just emailed her) Are my children secure in their relationship with me because of time spent together?

Let's make some real contact and make a real difference.

Wednesday is for Women

I am sitting in a library looking at the shelves of books from floor to ceiling and as I see the knowledge around me, I have to stop and realize that one must be able to discern what we hear and read.

Sometimes, when we are trying to expand our knowledge, find a helpful resource, keep up with current events, or just reading for pleasure, we ignore the basic admonition that 'the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge' (Pr. 1:7)

As a woman who is diligently seeking to increase my knowledge about being a disciple of Christ, as well as a godly wife and mother, I cannot disregard the basic principles laid out in scripture that 'guide me into all truth' (Jn. 16:13)

Travelling this road together,

Darla

Man-stuff Monday

Winning: Real Man Style

OK, The Masters is over, so it was an off week in golf. Few people probably watched the Verizon Heritage tournament and saw golfer Brian Gay win with a 20 under par to break the tourney record and beat his nearest opponent by 10 strokes. With this win, he assures himself an invitation to next year's Masters. Way to go, Brian!

Honestly, until yesterday, I had never heard of Brian Gay. I probably would not have even seen this event, but I was looking for something to take my Sunday afternoon nap to, and nothing lulls you to sleep like golf on television (except the peaceful hum of NASCAR). None of the big names were there for the tournament, so many will say Brian really didn't accomplish that much, but there were 3 people of great importance who watched closely as he putted in on the 18th green to cement the win.

After that final putt dropped in the hole, Brian's family ran to join him on the course. He scooped up one daughter in his arms and held the hand of the other. As he was being interviewed, he held his family close and shared this big moment with them. His daughters obviously knew their daddy's arms were a safe place even in that public spotlight, and this man seemed as comfortable with his child in his hands as he had been with the club a few minutes earlier.

My congratulations to Brian Gay. You've done well. (And you're a pretty good golfer, too.)

Family Time

Movie Review

We finally decided to see the new Dreamworks movie, 'Monsters vs. Aliens'. Sometimes Dreamworks can be a bit questionable in their content, but we found this new film offering to be overall acceptable. The story was compelling and the humor was age appropriate (that means my 10 year old daughter and I both laughed).

The only scene that had undesirable content, was when a government file pusher is entering a secure area of what appears to be a NORAD type facility and has to do a hand scan, retinal scan, foot scan and then sits on the scanner. If you have seen the trailer for the movie, this has been shown on TV.

The message of accepting yourself just as you are is related well through the story. We were glad to see the main character, Susan, realize her potential for good even though she wasn't just like everyone else. The General sets a good example of following through with a promise.

We saw the movie in 3-D by default, since the theatre we went to was only showing in that format. I initially thought the 3-D would be sub-standard, but was pleasantly surprised at the advances that have been made since Jaws 3. The effects were amazing, and just added to an already fun film. We left the theatre smiling and quoting memorable lines. Mom, Dad and the kids all had a great experience.

We give 'Monsters vs. Aliens' an A-. We also recommend keeping your glasses for a host of upcoming 3-D movies aimed at the family.

Film reviewed by Todd and Brook'lynn (age 10)

Man-stuff Monday

Find it, Fix it, Fund it!?!

Our oldest daughter is 18 and just bought her first car. She has saved her money from her 2 jobs and a few years of Birthday and Christmas gifts in order to pay for it herself. I am proud of her. She saved the money, she found the car, she paid for the taxes and title transfer. Pretty grown up, wouldn't you say?

She got the car, which is in GREAT condition, knowing the drivers window wouldn't go up all the way. I told her we would figure out what was wrong with it and get it fixed.

I do not have a great mechanical mind, but I am more than willing to take something apart and check it out. To make a long story short, I got into the door and it was a simple fix. The window works. The rain stayed out. Dad is the man!

This is the kind of stuff dads do, right? Find it, fix it, fund it! But Deuteronomy 6:6-9 gives us a different view of helping our kids. We are to teach them the ways of the Lord. Talk to them about the commands of God. Train them in the way they should go.

Fixing the window on the car was man stuff. I felt a sense of accomplishment when it was done. It was easy. The 18 years leading up to the purchase of the car has been more time consuming, and much more rewarding. She has a strong foundational faith because of the time spent from childhood til now. She is firm in her conviction of right and wrong because she has been pointed toward the truth of scripture. She knows the right direction for her life lies in following the will of God. THIS is a REAL accomplishment.

Today's man-stuff;
Eph 6:4 And you, fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.