a special hatred...

the assault on femininity--its long history, is utter viciousness--cannot be understood apart from the spiritual forces of evil we are warned against in the Scriptures. this is not to say that men (and women, for they, too, assault women) have no accountability in their treatment of women. not at all. it is simply to say that no explanation for the assault upon eve and her daughters is sufficient unless it opens our eyes to the prince of darkness and his special hatred of femininity.

turn your attention again to the events that took place in the garden of eden. notice--who does the evil one go after? who does satean single out for his move against the human race? he could have chosen adam...but he didn't. satan went after eve, he set his sights on her. have you ever wondered why? it might have been that he, like any predator, chose what he believed to be the weaker of the two. there is some truth to that. he is utterly ruthless. but we believe there is more. why does satan make eve the focus of his assault on humanity?

because she is captivating, uniquely glorious, and he cannot be. she is the incarnation of the beauty of God. more than anything else in all creation, she embodies the glory of God. she allures the world to God. he hates it with a jealousy we can only imagine.

and there is more. the evil one also hates eve because she gives life. women give birth, not men. women nourish life. and they also bring life into the world soulfully, relationally, spiritually--in everything they touch. satan is a murderer from the beginning (john 8:44). he brings death. his is a kingdom of death. and thus eve is his greatest human threat, for she brings life. she is a lifesaver and a lifegiver. eve means "life" or "life-producer".

put those tho thing together-that eve incarnates the beauty of God and she gives life to the world. his bitter heart cannot bear it. he assualts her with a special atred. do you begin to see it?

eve is God's realtional specialist given to the world to keep relationship a priority.

men have a way of letting these things slip. they'll go months without checking in on the health of their relatioships. years, even. and the world simply uses people, then spits them out when they are worn out and no longer "on top of their game." our emeny despises relationship, hates love in any form, fears its redemptive power. the is why God sent eve. women are needed to protect relationships, bring them back to center stage where they belong. you might at times feel like the only one who cares. but as women we must hang on to this--that because of the Trinity, relationship is the most important thing in the universe. let us not give way or yield our intuitive sense of the importance of relationship for anything.

it is here, starting with our circles of intimacy, that we are first and foremost women. it is here that we must first turn our gaze to ask, "What does it look like to off my Beauty, my fierce devotion, my love? how do they need me to be their ezer?" you have an irreplaceable role in your relationships. no one can be to the people in your life who you can be to them. no one can offer what you can offer. there are many things God calls us to do, but loving well always comes first. and don't your relationships feel opposed? of course. they must be fought for.

satan knew that to take out adam, all he had to do was take out eve. it worked rather well, and he has not abandoned the basic plan ever since. your place in the world as God's heart for relationship is vital. all the enemy has to do to destroy people's lives is to get them isolated, a lamb separated from the flock. he makes a woman feel like "what do i have to offer, really? they're probably doing fine." don't you believe it for a moment. you have been sent by the Trinity on behalf of love, of relationships. fight for them.

j. eldredge

the greatest things

1. the best day...today.


2. the greatest puzzle...life.


3. the cheapest, easiest, and most stupid thing to do...find fault.


4. the most expensive indulgence...hate.


5. the most disagreeable person...the complainer.


6. the best teacher...the one who makes you want to learn.


7. the greatest deceiver...the one who deceives himself.


8. the greatest thing in the world...LOVE---for God, family, home, friends and neighbors.

attributes to look for in a marriage partner

1. positive attitude.

2. spiritual values.

3. sense of humor.

4. faithfullness.

5. honesty.

6. respect.

7. good communication skills.

8. hard working.

9. compassionate.

10. playful.

11. generous.

12. forgiving.

13. flexible.

14. confident

15. sensitive.

16. understanding.

17. common sense.

18. money-wise.

19. can they be my best friend?

i'm always expressing to my girls just how important it is to wait on God's best in a spouse. i'm sure they get tired of hearing me, but in my opinion, choosing a spouse is the second most important decision in life. of course the first being to give our lives to Jesus.

As I Look Back...

As I look back on my life
I find myself wondering...
Did I remember to thank you
for all that you have done for me?

For all of the times you were by my side
to help me celebrate my successes
and accept my defeats?

Or for teaching me the value of hard work,
good judgement, courage, and honesty?

I wonder if I've ever thanked you
for the simple things...
The laughter, smiles, and quiet times we've shared?

If I have forgotten to express my gratitude
For any of these things,
I am thanking you now...
and I am hoping that you've known all along,
how very much you are loved and appreciated.

~Author Unknown~

Love,

Your Three Daughters





special thanks to eph2810 for the beautiful glitter tag

if you're going to fight....

if you're going to fight...


1. fight for the relationship...not against it!


2. fight for reconciliation...not against it!


3. fight to save your marriage...not to cash it in!


4. fight to solve the problem...not to salve you ego!


5. if you're going to fight, fight to win....not to lose!


note: these pictures were taken last weekend at the karate tournament. maegan and tarah both placed 1st in fighting, 2nd in forms-faith placed 1st in fighting and forms.


but the most joy i receive from watching them is seeing them support each other, being the loudest cheerleader for the sister that's competing, and to see them giving 100% in what they do. i thank God for them and for blessing them with hearts to serve Him and others.


just this week, maegan and tarah tested
for their purple belt. up until now, i have been in the same class and rank with them. but because of some health issues, i've had to play hookie for awhile, so now they are going to jump ahead of me i suppose. but that's okay, i'll just have to work extra hard to catch up.

is it true?

1. to lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals.

2. humility makes great men twice as honorable.

3. tis easy to see, hard to foresee.

4. creditors have better memories than debtors.

5. God heals, and the doctor takes the fees.

6. sell not virtue to purchase wealth, nor liberty to purchase power.

7. keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterward.

8. he that sows thorns should not go barefoot.

9. success has ruined many a man.

10. he that lies down with dogs shall rise up with fleas.

11. better slip with foot than tongue.

12. wish not so much to live long as to live well.

wise things grandma said...

1. you are special.

2. manners matter.

3. treat others the way you want to be treated.

4. always play fair.

5. take the days one day at a time.

6. count your blessings, name them one by one. (she sang this song at my house every thanksgiving!)

7. put things back where you found them.

8. decisions are too important to leave to chance.

9. clean up after yourself.

10. reach for the stars.

11. nothing wastes more energy than worrying.

12. the longer you carry a problem, the heavier it gets.

13. say "i'm sorry" when you hurt someone.

14. a little love goes a long way.

15. friendship is always a good investment.

87 years she lived this life. she faced the death of two husbands, one son and one grandson. she was a spunky and delightful woman. but if you crossed her, she would give you a piece of her mind, ask no questions and make no apologies. i guess the biggest disagreement we had was politics...for her there wasn't much greater than roosevelt and not much worse a man than bush. so over the years we just learned to steer clear of those topics. i came to realize that these issues were very emotional based for her, and you know, that's alright.

i will forever be greatful for her life and the legacy that she leaves.

the first picture is my mom and mamaw
the second picture is mamaw, mom, my three girls, my sister and her daughter
thrid picture is me and mamaw
fourth-mamaw and tarah
fifth and sixth-mamaw and maegan

i am outraged!!!!!

ok, i'm having a really bad attitude, but i'm trying to get some right perspective here...maybe you can give me some help here. but after the death of my father-in-law, my step dad and my grandmother this just about puts me over the edge!

oldest daughter, maegan calls on her way back from running an errand for a polital friend. she says, "mom, i'm getting pulled over and i don't know why. i could hear the sirens blaring and i could hear the tremble in her voice. i said, "it's ok, just see what he says, but keep me on the phone if you want." then i hear this mans voice, "hang up the phone...hang up the cell phone now!' his tone was brutal and as maegan was saying "mom i'm pulled over at wendy's, the cell phone clicks, and she's gone.

yes, i'm an overprotective mom, but i think i have a pretty good perspective when it comes to authority...my dad was a state trooper and became post commander before he retired. so i've been around these type guys all my life and have much respect for them. however, the tone that this guy used on my daughter was very uncalled for.

i still had my pj's on but ran out the door, with no shoes. tarah jumped in the car with me. i got to the intersection and saw three, THREE police cars behind her car. my view wasn't clear but i saw the policeman and a girl and it looked like the girl was getting in the police car. i just about got out right there in the middle of the road. the way things were positioned i couldn't get my car behind everyone so i had to pull in front at anohter road and just sit and watch from a distance. finally, i saw that the girl wasn't maegan cos she was still in her car. that was a little relief.

so i'm just sitting there watching and finally the guy walks back to his car for a second. so maegan texts me and said, "he says my tag's expired." well, i'm fit to be tied. i know this tag isn't expired cos we just went down and changed everything over in january, from where we just purchased the car.

finally, after the guy left, maegan pulled over to where i was sitting. she was shaking and in tears. she said the guy threatened to arrest her twice. for those of you who are reading this and dont personally know maegan, she's a very polite, sweet, yes ma'm, yes sir girl. i have raised her to respect people and authority. she said he turned on his lights and that it took her less than a minute to pull over, and she was gong 30 mph looking for a public place to pull over (which is what she was taught in driving school) but that he said she was "fleeing". and he was threatening to arrest her for obstruction becos she hesitated in signing the ticket she was just asking questions trying to figure it out, becos she knows it's a new car and that we just got our whole licences plate and sticker in january.

i called david, he immediately came down and when he saw how upset maegan was and when i told him how the guy had talked to her, he went to the police station. they reviewed the tape, and did say that they have to basically treat people like that. so no wonder she was in tears, she's done nothing wrong and she gets treated like a criminal! the assumed she was fleeing becos it took 30 seconds (according to video) THRITY SECONDS!!!!! give me a break. i'm sorry, and maybe i'm all wrong but 30 seconds just isn't that long for a 19 yr old that's never been pulled over and is looking for a safe public place. oh and they finally did admit that the reason the guy was "brutal" (my description) was he was a little excited cos she was "fleeing".

anyway, come to find out basically they had issued us an expired tag becos when we applied for the tag the billing had already been done and they failed to send us a new bill. and when david went to the tag office the commissioner even wrote a letter saying that they had failed to send us the new bill.

i guess the really sad thing in this is that it makes me just want to teach my girls to be "tough" and harden themselves so that when jerks like him try to push their weight around like that, it won't affect them this way. i mean i have so tried to teach my girls respect and rules. and they just don't speed, cos they know they lose their keys. that was so instilled into me becos of my dad, and they have heard it since they were two years old. in fact people give them a hard time by saying how when they seem them they're driving like a grandma.

i'm sure there are plenty of things that they do that aren't right, but i would go to jail claiming their innocence if they got a ticket for speeding or knowingly disobeying the law. and some people may say, "you just trust your girls too much." well maybe so, but that's one thing that i take a little pride in...i do trust my girls and there are many reasons but there are times that they tell me they've done wrong, when they could have kept it to themselves and i (or no human) would have never known. but that's just how they are and i thank God for that.

well, i guess i've ranted enough. but i'm probably not done yet.