While my hubby and I don't really celebrate Valentine's day (mostly cuz my b-day falls two weeks later, but generally because we should be saying "I love you" every day), I was inspired by a blog I frequent to think of the things I love about my hubby on this "day of love."
I love the way you laugh out loud,
I love the way you make me proud.
I love the way you love to learn,
and that for the heart of God you yearn.
I love the way you care for others,
I love the way you love my brothers.
I love the way you play the drums,
and that with tools you're not all thumbs.
But most of all I love the way,
you make me feel special every day.
I love that you look like "Hiro,"
and that every day you are my hero.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Thursday, February 07, 2008
A Small Sacrifice
As indicated in my previous post, my husband and I have decided to participate in the practice of lent this year. Born out of our year-long desire to be more disciplined in various areas of our lives, the practice (not celebration) of lent seemed fitting.
Seeing as I've never practiced lent before, I find myself drawn to any discussion I hear or read online about lent. In so doing I stumbled upon a blog from www.boundless.org. The post spoke to me and where my heart is this year. "Lent is not something I feel bound to observe, but it is something I want to do this year. Over and over and over again, the God of the Bible tells His people to remember. To write His words on our hearts, to celebrate feasts to commemorate what He has done. And as Easter approaches, fasting from something is a very small way to sacrifice, to remember whenever we have a craving, that Jesus sacrificed so much for us." (Read the whole blog here: "Forty Days of Lent."
As the forty days of lent continue, I must admit that I am enjoying my personal pledge to abstain from television. While, as one friend noted in her comments to me, the idea of getting enjoyment out of the sacrifice seems wrong, choosing to spend my time in other ways has produced results I never expected. My husband and I are talking more (not that we never talked before...), I'm reading more and getting more rest. And I'm flipping on our stereo more to fill the house with praise and other contemporary Christian music that is feeding my soul. I aware of the sacrifice I'm making when I am tempted to see if there's a movie on, or to check out the FoodNetwork, but when I feel that urge I stop and thank the Lord for the greater sacrifice He made for me. A sacrifice that I enjoy even more than the benefits I've found from not watching TV... a sacrifice that gives me hope, fills me with joy, and gives me a peace that passes all human understanding.
Seeing as I've never practiced lent before, I find myself drawn to any discussion I hear or read online about lent. In so doing I stumbled upon a blog from www.boundless.org. The post spoke to me and where my heart is this year. "Lent is not something I feel bound to observe, but it is something I want to do this year. Over and over and over again, the God of the Bible tells His people to remember. To write His words on our hearts, to celebrate feasts to commemorate what He has done. And as Easter approaches, fasting from something is a very small way to sacrifice, to remember whenever we have a craving, that Jesus sacrificed so much for us." (Read the whole blog here: "Forty Days of Lent."
As the forty days of lent continue, I must admit that I am enjoying my personal pledge to abstain from television. While, as one friend noted in her comments to me, the idea of getting enjoyment out of the sacrifice seems wrong, choosing to spend my time in other ways has produced results I never expected. My husband and I are talking more (not that we never talked before...), I'm reading more and getting more rest. And I'm flipping on our stereo more to fill the house with praise and other contemporary Christian music that is feeding my soul. I aware of the sacrifice I'm making when I am tempted to see if there's a movie on, or to check out the FoodNetwork, but when I feel that urge I stop and thank the Lord for the greater sacrifice He made for me. A sacrifice that I enjoy even more than the benefits I've found from not watching TV... a sacrifice that gives me hope, fills me with joy, and gives me a peace that passes all human understanding.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
40 Days and counting...
I've never practiced lent before, not for any particular reason aside from a lack of discipline, but this year my hubby and I thought lent would be a good way to practice DISCIPLINE (our theme for 2008). We debated on what to give up, finally settling on something that we both agreed would help us focus more on the spiritual disciplines (the purpose of lent), but also something that will help us in all the other areas of discipline we desire to work on this year.
We're giving up television.
I admit it, I enjoy watching TV. I love movies, all the CSIs, Criminal Minds, even Battlestar Gallactica (which fortunately returns to the air after lent ;-) ha ha). I don't even think there's anything wrong with watching TV (although it's getting harder and harder to find anything good to watch), it's just that TV can controls us if we let it. It's easy to lose all sense of time when I get engrossed in a movie. And television is a great way to procrastinate for me. Add to that the fact that TV isn't interactive or social, watching TV means we don't talk as much. It also means sitting on our butts more than we should! With all that in mind then, while in all honestly I was resistant to the idea of giving TV up at first, after compiling a list of all the things I could be doing in place of TV I got pretty excited!
So here's to 40 days (minus Sundays) of playing board games, reading books, going for walks, scrapbooking, journalling, connecting with friends, and being still. It's all part of the journey...
We're giving up television.
I admit it, I enjoy watching TV. I love movies, all the CSIs, Criminal Minds, even Battlestar Gallactica (which fortunately returns to the air after lent ;-) ha ha). I don't even think there's anything wrong with watching TV (although it's getting harder and harder to find anything good to watch), it's just that TV can controls us if we let it. It's easy to lose all sense of time when I get engrossed in a movie. And television is a great way to procrastinate for me. Add to that the fact that TV isn't interactive or social, watching TV means we don't talk as much. It also means sitting on our butts more than we should! With all that in mind then, while in all honestly I was resistant to the idea of giving TV up at first, after compiling a list of all the things I could be doing in place of TV I got pretty excited!
So here's to 40 days (minus Sundays) of playing board games, reading books, going for walks, scrapbooking, journalling, connecting with friends, and being still. It's all part of the journey...
Saturday, February 02, 2008
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