Terribly Interesting

Honestly, I have no idea what I accomplished this week. I did create about 15 paintings. Other than that, I Just tried to make it through the week. On Sunday, my beloved three-year-old somehow got out of her floatie and jumped into a friend's pool. Thank God she was rescued. I broke my pinkie toe on a brick that night. By the next day I couldn't walk on it. Its much better now. I splinted it like a true professional with some Barbie bandaids. On Tuesday,  Chayah asked to go swing on the porch swing that hangs in the big tree in our yard. There was a giant wasp nest hidden underneath it. They started attacking my head and legs. Wasp stings to the head are intense. My head is still swollen. My head hurt so badly for hours that I couldn't even feel the pain of the other stings. I jerked poor Chayah off that swing so fast that I scared her. Poor girl. A few minutes later she was choking on a piece of ice. I couldn't get into my doctor to see if my ear infection/ retracte...

I enjoyed this book more than I can say. Julia's honest speech and raw wit are delightful. I loved seeing the stories behind what made her who she was. Her drive and compulsion are the stuff of legend. Obviously, she is a perfectionist, but it was her charm and humor made her seem just perfect. How I wish I could have pulled up a chair in her kitchen.  You probably watched Julie and Julia and know the gist of Julia's story. (Wasn't Meryl Streep fantastic!) The book fills in the details and all from Julia's perspective. You can see how her husband's government job led them to France and how her very first meal there led her on a adventure to learn to cook French food, though she had never been interested in cooking before. The book follows them on stints in several different countries. The most fascinating thing to me was how devoted she was to this cookbook for a decade. She truly did master the art of French cooking.  I fell a little head over heels for ...

I cried when I saw that She Reads Truth was going to do a short study on Hosea. The prophet Hosea's deep and wild pursuit of Gomer is the most intense picture of Christ's love for us. If you want to see deep with in the story of the Prophet and the Prostitute, join me in studying at shereadstruth.com for the next eighteen days. Delve into the healing of the unrelenting pursuit of God for your heart. Five years ago we purchased a 100 year old three story Antebellum mansion to completely restore. We use is as a respite and a refugee camp of sorts for wounded and weary pastors and missionaries. We feed addicts and those who love them. I had many years before had this unrelenting obsession with the type of woman Gomer must have become. I thought long and hard about her picture as the bride of Christ fully restored. How beautiful and how lovely she must have been. We named our house after her because of the lengths her husband went to in order to fully restore her. Beautiful....

Well, summer on the road is coming to close. Denbigh is currently doing opening chapel at Lutheran South Academy in Houston. It has been an eventful summer. I have been ill from some serious mold exposure (not at home) and fighting an infection. Being alone with heart attack symptoms (from mold)and caring for three girls was more than I bargained for. I spent my eleven year anniversary at Urgent Care while my husband was leading worship several hours away. I wasn't able to see him. This infection has been hard stuff. Please say a little prayer for me that my body will be completely restored.  I did manage to finish the floor in the guest room. It's stunning. I know I did it. I'm not bragging. It's the wood. It is gorgeous. Let me tidy the joint up and I'll post a picture. Did y'all see that I now have my art in The Dancing Bear in Gruene? I met with the owner and did some wholesale transacting. Y'all, I'm practically famous. Really, it i...

I've been thinking a lot about truth and loving my neighbor as myself. What does that truly look like? I posted something last week and received some bashing hate mail from someone I don't even really know. It was so distracting that I chose to delete the article I posted. The question I came away with is how to gracefully share truth. How can we call sin sin without injuring our friend? How do we mercifully plead with someone to come home to truth. Honestly, I don't know. I just keep seeing all of these things that say our faith can't dictate our sexuality, but the more I read the more I see that the Bible speaks in huge ways about it. One of us is wrong. If sin ceases to be sin or if we can choose what we believe to be sin, do we have any need of Jesus? On a another note, I am deeply grieved about Robin Williams. That could have been me. It was one of my brothers. In the past I sat deeply and drank from the well of deep despair for many years. I attempted suicide. I c...

It took me several weeks to get through this book. That's somewhat unusual for me. It was a little longer than normal, but it don't think that was it. I went back and forth with really enjoying the book, being bored, and thinking I've seen this plot line before. Sometimes, the conversations about God seemed quite contrived. I did however think it was a sweet tale. It wasn't overtly romantic, which was nice. The focus was on God and serving him. It showed much of the how and why we tend to run from the Lord based on our human experience.  I thought it was quite interesting to see how arduous and lengthy trips across America were in these times. They were perilous and many did not survive. Some of the Indian beliefs were equally interesting. I did think the author could confuse the reader by saying Yahweh and the Great Spirit could be one in the same. I probably wouldn't lend this book out.  This book was graciously provided by the publisher for review. 

I'm sorry for my blurry pictures. My phone is currently being held together by stickers. Hurry it up with your new iPhone release, Apple. Mama needs a new camera by her side. Of course I have a Canon, but I also have three kids that I keep protecting it from. As you can see from my blurry photo, I finished the last leg of the floor in the guest room. I may add a little top coat, but the hard work is finished. Now, I'm on to the moulding.  The moulding and the doors would have been a snap, but whoever stayed in this room really loved taping tiny pieces of paper to the wood work. As you can see, it left permanent marks. Who knows how long that tape had been there. A little light sanding, some rag-wiped stain, and . . .  It looks like this. I have a bit more to go, but I had to take a break to come see my mama. More on that in a bit.  I'm doodling for a painting and creating some sails. I've been asked to sell some of my artwork in the gift shop in the new hospital in New ...

So, you want to know about my day. I let my girls eat outside and I see this remnant of a meal. It looked like a half smirk/half "meh" face. I said, " I feel you buddy." You have to find the humor in things, y'all. Otherwise when you find your daughter jumping off the baby grand or throwing a full cup of water across the inside of your car, you might lose it. You might lose it anyway, but I'm  sure you'll bounce back more quickly. Perhaps it leads the heart to grace more quickly by disarming pride.  As you can see, I'm really into looking awesome on film. My girls are always bringing me things to put on during the day. Usually they want me to keep them on. They cry when I take them off.  Then, they want to put on every single accessory in the house and have my undivided attention all day long. Somehow, when I say that mommy needs some space, they can't seem to grasp it.  This is apparently my daughter's impression of a French model. Please he...

No one could have prepared me for motherhood or restoring this old house. I never knew how hard it would all be. It's like marriage. You cannot fathom the sanctification it will bring if you submit yourself to it. The fatigue sets in sometimes and I wonder if I am really equipped for all of this. Did I sign up for too much? The weariness will make you sound like a fool. I've said things I didn't mean to my girls. I have repented and walked in forgiveness. Motherhood is no joke. If you really want to fight your natural fleshly inclinations and love people fiercely with gospel love, it is going to be painful. It is going to be exhilarating. It is going to wreck you and remake you in a way that can't be explained. Every single day you have to remind yourself not to give up. For me, it is every fourth-five minutes. Work as if working for the Lord takes on a deep, holistic meaning.  I think about working as if working for the Lord quite a bit. I think of it in restoration an...