Thursday, February 22, 2007

That time of Year again

I love, love, love Major League Baseball!! I am counting the days until the first televised spring training games, and I"m setting up my team in the fantasy league that Roger and I play in with some of the guys he works with.

My first memories of baseball are of watching Braves games with my grandfather. We would watch the games on the big floor model tv in Papa's house in Rome, GA. Papa would tell me stories of his Dad's playing days in the Cincinnati Reds minor league system, and how much he loved watching his Dad play while he was growing up.

Somewhat surprisingly, it wasn't my DAD who inherited a love of baseball from my Papa, his father. It was my MOM. My Mom has been a baseball fan, particularly a Braves fan, for as long as I can remember. I have to smile when I think that many adults feel comforted when they hear a song that their Mom sang to them when they were little, or when they read to their children a story that they loved as a child.
I am comforted by the voices of Skip Caray and Pete Van Weiren, both of whom have been Atlanta Braves announcers for the last 32 years!! LOL

I"m not only a Braves fan, though. I love ALL of baseball~I love the game itself, I love the history of the game, all of that. I am one of those 'weird' people that loves the sound of a bat hitting a ball, and the satisfying 'thump' of a ball landing in a glove.

I've witnessed some wonderful moments in baseball~an unassisted triple play by Atlanta's Rafael Furcal, the amazing 125 win 1998 season of the New York Yankees, and the amazing post season of the 2004 Boston Red Sox, including Curt Shilling's gutsy and famous 'bloody sock' performance.

I've had other 'favorite moments' closer to home~Like my husband's fantastic softball pitching performance representing the Shaw Outlaws ( his company team) in 2003, and his contributions to our church team's first place finish in thier league last fall.

But, I think I had my favorite baseball moment ( so far) tonight. Our son, who turned 5 on Valentines Day, put on a glove and picked up a bat for the first time tonight. He had a new bat bag, a brand new bat, ball, glove, batting gloves, and a batting helmet with his name on it. It cracks me up that the thing he was most proud of were his cleats!!! He refuses to call them cleats. To him, they're 'my baseball shoes that make me run fast".

He did well with throwing and catching, and he was pleased when his coach told him so. He is SO proud of being able to hit pitched balls, and not having to hit off the tee!! His grin when he first made contact with the ball is the cutest thing I have ever seen! And his "Mommy, I hit it!" as he ran by me on his way to first base is definitely my favorite baseball moment~so far! :)
Blessings,
Vicki

Thursday, February 15, 2007

They Had Been With Jesus

I started a 'plan' for reading through the Bible. I heard about this plan, and began it just before Christmas. Each day, you read one chapter each from the Old Testament, the New Testament, Proverbs, and Psalms. I am just loving the little 'nuggets' the Lord shows me as I do this.

Last night, as I read in the book of Acts, Chapter 5 ( I think it was 5!) there was a phrase that jumped out at me. Peter and John were preaching, and the Word of God tells me that the people gathered there listening to them percieved and knew that they had been with Jesus.

That really jumped out at me! I began to wonder, can other people tell when I have been with Jesus? Am I spening enough time with Jesus for it to show?
Would others say about me 'She has been with Jesus?" I surely hope so.
Blessings,
Vicki

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

If we are the Body of Christ.....

There is a song that asks the question "If we are the body, why aren't His hands reaching, why aren't His feet going", etc.

I don't know the song by heart, but I always enjoy it when I hear it on the radio.

When I think of the Body of Christ, I think of the Church. I tend to think of my church, and of the wonderful friends we've made there.

But, my family members who are saved are also part of the body of Christ, and I am so thankful to God for using them to bless me!
I have been a part of a local homeschool group for about 2 years now. Tonight, for the first time, I was able to attend the monthly Mom's Night Out gathering. Spending time with other christian homeschooling Moms was a wonderful blessing. But the even greater blessing for me was how my family pulled together so that I could go tonight.

I am unable to drive, so getting to Mom's Night is not always do-able for me because of transportation issues, and sometimes just because we have other things to do. But, a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned to my husband that since he needed to be in a certain part of town tonight anyway, IF the Mom's Night was held nearby, I'd really like to go.

Well, my wonderful husband not only made it possible for me to go, he INSISTED that I go! We enlisted my sister's help to keep an eye on our munchkins during my husband's volleyball game. I have the two most wonderful sisters anyone could ask for!!

My husband took the children to my sister, dropped me off at the restaraunt for Mom's Night, went to the store for me to buy some last minute items for tomorrow's hs group Valentine Party, went and played volleyball for our church team ( and won!) then stayed after the game to take down the volleyball net and set up the tables for tomorrow's party, since it is to be held in our church gymnasium. My sister met him there with the kids, and he brought them all to the restaraunt to pick me up.

And, he did all of this in spite of that fact that he worked really hard today, having extra work to do because they cut one position from the department where he works. That is going to make this a tough week for him, and he knew that, but still he did all of this for me tonight without a single complaint or cross word.

I am truly, truly blessed, and I just have to praise God once again for the wonderful husband He has given me.

I am guessing that nearly everyone married woman who is reading this is thinking " I have a wonderful husband too!" I hope you do. And if you do, I hope you will TELL him so.
Blessings,
Vicki

Like it or not, I"m contagious!!!

I know that some of the Mom's from my homeschool group read this blog, so before you freak out, I did NOT bring any contagious disease to Mom's Night tonight! ~At least, none that I'm aware of!! LOL

I'm not speaking of carrying a contagious physical ailment, all though we sometimes carry those too! :) The fact is that whether we want to admit it or not, we as Mom's are always contagious. Our husbands, our kids, and anyone who spends a significant amount of time in our home will 'catch' our moods and attitudes.

Sometimes, I wish this were NOT true. Sometimes, I find myself thinking that it's not fair that this is true. But, it's still a fact. If I grumble about housework, my children are very likely to grumble about their chores. If I groan at the prospect of another day's schoolwork, my kids are very likely to do the same thing.

If my husband comes home and finds me sour faced, snapping at the kids, and stomping around the house, chances are good that in a few minutes time HE will also be sour faced, snapping, and stomping around.

Thankfully, the reverse is also true. If I sing or play music while doing housework, the kids are more likely to help willingly and cheerfully. If I'm excited, or at least NOT disgusted at the days schoolwork, the children will be fine with it too. If my husband is greeted at the door with smiles and pleasantness, he is much more likely to give the same in return.

I confess, there are days when I am simply in a bad mood and would love to be left alone to just BE in a bad mood. But, I try really hard to NOT give in to that, because whether I smile or frown, laugh or yell at everyone, I AM CONTAGIOUS!!! And, if you're a Mom, so are you.

Blessings,
Blessedbeyondmeasure

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Living on the Edge??

I mentioned in my last post that someone whose opinion I used to seek on spiritual matters had expressed to me a belief that I feel is in direct opposition to Scripture. This person did not 'commit a sin', in that he did not go out and perform the act himself. He simply expressed a belief that a particular action was 'okay' when Scripture clearly states that it is NOT.

Tonight, I learned some things that strongly indicate that ANOTHER fellow Christian has fallen into sin~blatant, clearly anti-Scriptural actions. My husband made the comment that we cannot condem this person because we are 'just as capable of falling just as far as he has fallen'.

After thinking about it, I"m not sure I agree with that statement. Yes, we all sin, each and every day, and yes, I believe that sin is sin no matter what the particular offending act might be. But, are we ALL just as capable of falling into the pit of sin as others? I"m not so sure.

I picture it this way. We, as Christians, are walking along on top of a mountain. At the edge of the mountain is a huge drop off. If we step off that edge, we will fall far, far, down into the deep pit of sin. But, we do not HAVE to walk on the edge!!

When we spend time daily in God's Word, we take a few steps back from the edge. When we spend time daily in prayer, we take a few steps back from the edge. When we resist temptation, we step back from the edge. When we choose to fill our minds with what is good, holy and pure instead of meaningless prattle, we step back from the edge of that cliff.

So yes, we all 'live on that edge' at times, and we all ocassionally lose our footing and stumble into sin, but if we reach up, we can grab onto our Master's hand and regain our footing. We don't HAVE to walk on the edge of that cliff, and we don't HAVE to fall off the edge.

God's Word promises us that with every temptation there will also be a way of escape, so that we may be able to bear it.

I want to do what I can to stay away from the edge of the cliff. I don't want to live on the edge!!
Blessings,
Vicki

Monday, February 5, 2007

Learning A Lot~About Myself

Yes, I'm still here. I know it's been a while since I've posted. We have been busy in recent days and weeks.

Just before Christmas, I heard another Christian for whom I have a great deal of respect say that he reads his Bible daily in a particular way. He reads one chapter from the Old Testament, one chapter from the New Testament, one chapter from Proverbs, and one chapter from Psalms every day.

For some reason, that really jumped out at me, so I decided to try it. Doing this every day has made SUCH a difference in my heart, and in my life!!! One thing that amazes me is that when I get by myself, pray, and then read God's Word, I am AMAZED at how much He reveals to me!! Without the aid of the latest christian book, Bible commentary, or another person, but just me and God in His Word, I have learned a lot about the Bible, AND about myself.

God has also been gracious enough to me to use many speakers that I've heard recently, both at church and on Christian radio, to speak to my heart. Also, I"ve done the first session and the first 4 days of homework from Beth Moore's study on Daniel, and it is FANTASTIC!!

Without going into a lot of long, boring detail as to how this came about, God is showing me some things about myself~things that need to change. These are things that ONLY the Holy Spirit could have shown me, because I would never have admitted them to myself, and I would, I'm sure, have refused to listen to anyone else who tried to show me these things.

But, it's hard to argue with the Holy Spirit. He has revealed to me that I am more controlling than I care to admit. He has also shown me that, in some areas of my life, I am something of a snob.

This last one came as a real shock to me. I am not a 'look down your nose at other people' type of person, generally speaking. But, I have come to see recently that in some areas of my life, I am a bit snobbish. Just by way of example, my husband and I recently had a disagreement over which of 2 local baseball leagues we should sign our son up to play for. I wanted one, dh wanted the other. I did not admit this to dh at the time, but the real reason I wanted the league I wanted is because the OTHER league is considered the 'red neck hick' league, while the league I would have chosen has less of that kind of a reputation.

This is so stupid!! LOL The fact of the matter is that AROUND HERE,. where I live, one league is considered more 'red neck hick' than the other, but to anyone from a truly metropolitan area, BOTH would be considered 'red neck hick' leagues. Besides, when it is all said and done, my son will be barely 5 years old and playing T ball, so what the heck is the difference which league he plays in?! I am really surprised at myself for being so upset that dh chose to sign him up with the 'other' league! Am I really that much of a snob?!

These thougths have left me sort of, well, annoyed with myself, I guess. It did not help matters at all that the shower door came off in my hand when I stepped out of the shower tonight!!! UGH! Thankfully, dh will be home all day tomorrow, so he will be here to fix it, and it seems to be something minor that can be taken care of fairly quickly.

All of this has conspired together to leave me feeling very out of sorts. I"m sure that the devil is happy about that. The final straw was later tonight when I found out that a person whom I have always admired for their spiritual walk and their firmness in standing on the Word of God, has done something that is in direct opposition to Scripture. I am not speaking here of a brother or sister in Christ who has sinned, then repented and asked forgiveness. I am speaking of a person who has made a choice that Scripture CLEARLY states is wrong, and yet the person has somehow justified it in their own mind and is not only unapologetic for it, but believes others ought to agree with it!! I have to wonder now if the advice I've gotten from this person in the past on spiritual matters is sound or not.

Once again, I have many more questions than I have answers. Don't you just hate when that happens? :)

Blessings,
Vicki