Tell me I'm not the only one this happens to...wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (what exactly IS "bushy-tailed," anyway? Do I even want to be compared to something that so obviously focused on the posterior?) I digress...so anyway, I woke up Friday morning with one cleaning mission for the day: strip all beds, wash linens, and put fresh ones back on the beds. This is not a huge feat, but it can be when you put the first (large) load in and go to transfer things to the dryer and find a sopping mess. No worries, said I, just run the spin cycle again. Now, I feel I must back up and say that I love my washing machine. It is a front-load commercial model that we purchased from a U.S. Army base. We bought the dryer, too. Basically, the base was putting in new housing and had to tear down a laundry facility- or something to that effect. We got a tremendous deal and these things are "da bomb" !!!!!

Normally, when the washer hits the spin cycle it makes a sound similar to that of a jet achieving liftoff- I am so not kidding!! But yesterday I noticed the washer never made that sound so I figured I should go online and search "SpeedQueen troubleshooting." Those search engines are such a dynamo!! I could probably type in something like "Ostrogoth clan members living in the greater Atlanta area" and get multiple hits!! But I found out my problem was minor; the drain hose was clogged or the trap was clogged. Fantastic!!!! But I don't know how to get into either of those things, so I called MY HERO. The call went something like this:
"Hi honey, what are you doing?"
"Working, babe. What do you need?"
"Well, the washer will spin but won't drain and the problem is in the hose or the trap and I can't get to either one."
"Is it something you need right now, or can it wait 'till after supper tonight?"
"Provided you understand that all beds in the house are naked, it can wait until tonight."
"Okay. Sherri, don't panic. I know just what to do and will take care of it when I get home."

Ahhhh. Music to my ears. I get that whole romantical (!) feeling that Rob is about to save the day. He will slip into that repairman mode and make everything right again. Do you remember the Cosby Show episode where the bathroom tiles began to fall off the wall and Cliff says, "Theo, Son, go get me my toolbelt"? And Claire wears this look of sheer horror at the mere thought of things to come? Well, I never get that look or feeling. Usually. Hardly ever. Okay, okay, maybe there was this one time. But that involved major home demolition and renovation, give me a break!!!! Seriously, though, Rob had things apart, obstruction sighted, removed, and parts put back into place within 30 minutes. And then my washer made the sound I have come to love: liftoff!!!

I just love the way God built into men the desire to "fix" and make things right again for the women they cherish. Granted, the desired "fix" can sometimes end up in the hands of a professional, but the effort expended on my behalf just makes me feel so, um, loved. Of course, this is not just a funny anecdote to give you a Saturday morning laugh, but to give an opportunity for reflection. Do you (we) appreciate the effort our husbands put into taking care of our homes? Not the daily tasks, like cooking and cleaning, but the major maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair- not to mention making the decision whether or not to DIY (do it yourself) or call someone else. Let's make sure we are showing appreciation to them for this. And hey, show them this appreciation in the way they choose!!!

habiliment (noun) clothing, attire

Just something funny- no, make that hilarious- I want to share with y'all. Turns out that my youngest, Kirk, has a new favorite caveat. This usually occurs while I am teaching a school lesson to another child, pulling something from a 450 degree oven, or scrubbing out a toilet. But he will run in and say, "Don't worry, Mom, I cleaned it all up!!!" There is always something horrifying about imagining what "it" might be....

Do any of you have people who are just really great friends? I mean the kind of friends who watch-your-kids-at-the-drop-of-a-hat-even-at-2 AM-when-you-go-into-labor (falsely)-for-the-third-time. Well, we have been so blessed by our great friends Todd and Nettie. These are the type of friends where we feel like we can never out-give them because their auto-pilot mode is "service."

So here is one thing I can do for them. They have been trying to sell their home in California for about 7 months now and would really like to retire to Arkansas. No, I did not type that backwards, this is the truth. This is such a great home and you can read all about it here. They are very aware of God's providence and His sovereign plan that might not include retirement to Arkansas. But I said, "Let me post this on my blog and see if we get any response." After waiting for them to stop laughing I heard them say, "Okay."

The scoop: great neighborhood. I can personally vouch for this as we lived there for roughly a year and a half. Brentwood, CA (no, not OJ's neighborhood) is a quiet little bedroom community for the San Francisco Bay area. Look it up on the map to find out all the stats. But the house is terrific! Great for a homeschooling family, as they are, in fact, a homeschooling family. Oh, I was just out there for a visit May '05 and there are seriously 5, yes five, Starbucks in Brentwood city limits!!

So contact my dear friends. Even if you don't buy the house or know someone else who might be interested, who knows? You might just end up making friends with a great couple!

As the title of my post indicates, I am going to share a little something about busy-ness and service. Have you ever experienced the feeling where your heart is so full of what God has shown you that you don't know quite how to express it to others? Yes? Well, my feelings exactly, so please bear with me as I try to explain.

Remember when I mentioned that Rob works in sales? To be specific, he sales any type of low-voltage needs to offices: cctv, phone systems, fire, security, data networking, wifi, surround sound, etc. I know I am leaving something out, but you get the gist, I'm sure. Anyway, sales for his company works like this: sell something in January and reap the commission in March- so a two month layover, basically. By the way, you might want to jump over to his blog to read what he posted about salesmanship... not now, of course, but after you're done here!!! There is a lot of opportunity to learn about trusting in the Lord in sales work, as with most any other job.

In our former life, when Rob was referred to as Pastor Rob- another time, another post ladies- he was given a severance check for 2.5 months salary that, by God's grace, has lasted us almost 5 months. But Rob, being the diligent provider for our family that he is, notices the dwindling savings and feels the pressure to make/close those sales. Please note: I am not breaking confidence with my husband here- I have his blessing to share these things.

Fast forward to care group on Thursday night...Rob was asking for prayer when JohnMark read the portion of scripture Luke 10:38-42. Remember how Jesus went to Mary and Martha's home and Martha was busy with preparations and serving? And how Mary just sat at Jesus' feet to hear Him teach? But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better portion, which will not be taken away from her."

And so JohnMark just looked up and asked, "Are you so busy trying to provide that you aren't worshipping?" Okay, well, WOW! Just, WOW! Think with me here: Rob has been busy going out, working long hours, and I've been home trying to make those pennies scream from being stretched and these things are GOOD- just like Martha's serving and preparations were GOOD- but Mary was learning from and worshipping the Christ. She was doing the better thing.

And so my heart is full. The worry is gone, forgiven and my heart is ready to worship and listen to God. Again, such a simple truth, but such a profound impact.

garish (adjective) too bright or gaudy; showy

I know you've all been there: Feeling like everything is under control; housework going smoothly; schoolwork on task; meals cooked well; clean underwear for all- then BAM!! All of a sudden, you realize, "I'm relying on myself and not GOD to provide." Is it just me? For instance, yesterday I became irritated with my 3 year old for pretty much acting like a 3 year old! I do believe there is a difference between childishness and foolishness. So what was my uber-Godly response? Why, yelling like a fishwife, of course!! After, in my post-fishwifery reflection, I was convicted on about, say, 37 different levels. I had not been Christ-like in my response to Kirk; there was no gentleness, no patience, no self-control and no goodness.

Enter the Cross and the grace of God... which says, "My Son paid for that sin. Run to the cross. There is forgiveness for you." This allowed me to take hold of that forgiveness and apply God's grace. I could then ask Kirk's forgiveness and experience that sweet feeling of a restored relationship.

But did I learn my lesson? No! When Rob came home and updated me on his work day, I became discouraged along with him because of his seeming lack of success lately (he works in sales- 'nuff said). Here was a primo opportunity for me to step up to the plate in that biblical helpmeet sort of way to encourage him with scripture and the promise of God's provision for us. What did I do? I added to him the weight of my despair. It ain't a pretty picture, gals. When we begin to live in our own strength and rely on self, we not only succumb to pride (that sneaky, subtle trickster), but we completely ignore the grace that is there for us. Oh, isn't is just better to put on humility and say, "God, I can't do this on my own. Please help me to rely only on Your power today"?

Just a side-note here- I am thankful for the encouraging comments some of you have left here. Please let me know how I can encourage you all in turn.

factoid (noun) a trivial or useless fact or statistic

No, ladies, the calendar doesn't lie. Indeed, it is my birthday today; the big 3-4. Ancient to some, infantile to others- it all depends on who reads the post!! Naturally, I have been pondering the passage of time, and yes, there are a few more lines on my face that weren't there at 33. What has really amazed me, though, are the bothersome discolored (read, "no colored") hairs cropping up. I can't even call them gray. No, we skipped right on past gray and went straight to white. How did that happen? My mom and grandmother were/are very "late grayers" (is that a word?), so I thought I had it made in that respect. Apparently, genetics is not always predictable...

At any rate, I have been somewhat introspective about this age thing. Navel-gazing, I guess some would call it. I have heard/read that so-called "navel-gazing" is frowned upon in the blogosphere. Sorry; I have to pull the old, "it's my bloggy and I'll navel-gaze if I want to." Seriously, I haven't been thinking so much about the signs of aging- the white hairs, the new lines, wrinkles, etc.- as I have been thinking of signs of maturity. When others look at me or spend time with me, can they see evidences of my growing in the grace of God? Do they say, "oh yeah, she's really grown in this area in the past year"? Or do they think, "it appears that she is still struggling with the same sins"? This is a sobering train of thought, gals. Do others see a more beautiful picture of Christ in me, one that more accurately reflects Him? I pray so. I think over the past year of 2005 and recall the trials our family has endured. My prayer is that we are all more conformed to the image of Christ and not just heaving a big "Phew! I'm glad that year is over!!"

On different note, I am happy to report that Rob is way more in love with me at 34 than he was when I was a young bride of (almost) 22. How great is that?! Likewise, I am more in love with the bald-by-choice-almost-completely-gray-goateed man than I was with the full-head-of-curly-haired 22 year old I married!!! I am quite thankful for a husband who sees past the lines and gray hairs (if he even notices them) to the "unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit." No, not there yet, but am definitely enjoying the journey!!

ebullient (adjective) bubbling; enthusiastic; exuberant.
Yes, Rob, this one is for you!!

Hiya blog-loving girlfriends!! Are you all rested and refreshed after a wonderful Lord's Day? I am, or, was; but it's Monday night and I'm tired. Tired in a good way, I think. The kids and I had a busy day- grocery shopping and various errands combined with a full day of schoolwork and musical theater (or, theatre) class for Harrison- and now the "hub" (that's husband for future reference) and I are talking with a friend and blogging, respectively. By the way, how in the world does he do it? Blog on a regular basis, that is. I reckon I could ask him, being as how he is right here, but I am still blown away. Really, ladies, check out his blog; it is muy fantastico!!

Speaking of the Lord's Day (yesterday)- and we were, remember? right up at the top?- ours was a little unique. After the worship service, we were able to attend a birthday party of a friend, David (husband of Rebecca; father of Gabrielle, Noah and Luke). After all the festivities and after the kids hit that post-play comatose state, we all sat down for a time of honor toward and encouragement to David, the birthday boy, uh, man. This is so great- I am sooo stealing this idea- and it goes something like this: You think of a time when, say, you have seen evidences of grace in a person's life and just use that as a verbal expression of encouragement to that person. For example, many of us could remember times when David had sacrificed his comfort and convenience to minister to his wife, Becca. We could then encourage him that it is God's grace working in him to enable him to love his wife in this way. I think you get the picture. But do you see how we can use this in our everyday lives to honor our own husbands? What a source of refreshing encouragement we can be to our dear men who do so much for us!! If your husbands are anything like mine- and I am very biased- then it is clear that they lay down their lives to provide for us and our collective children. I am glad that burden is not mine because I could not begin to excel in that area like Rob does.

So ladies, let's be intentional about honoring our husbands. Let's be such a source of encouragement that worry or despair will not gain a foothold with our men. And hey, don't just stop at encouraging words!! Smooches, and the like, can be waaaaaaaay more effective at times!

Until next time...

dearth (noun) scarcity or lack

Happy New Year to the women of the blogosphere!! I trust each of you had either a fun and exciting New Year's Eve; a quiet and relaxing New Year's Eve; or, like we had, a sleeping-through-the-entire-thing-then-waking-up-on-the-couch-at-two a.m. New Year's Eve!!! I would be interested to hear how you spent our Lord's Day this New Year. Our fellowship did a particularly meaningful thing: we spent the entire service in corporate worship and prayer for the upcoming year. What does the Lord have in store for Crossway Fellowship in 2006? Well, we already know we are moving to a new facility in Athens at the end of January. Our prayer is that we would be able to reach out to more UGA students in the area, as well as other people in the Athens community. We will no longer be a little sheltered, middle-class, suburban fellowship- and thank God for that!!! He has answered the prayers of many in our church leadership regarding a new facility.

So I am curious to know if any of you have personal and/or spiritual goals for 2006? Let me hear from you. As for me, some of these would be the pursuit of holiness/devotion to the Savior; patience and tenderness in training my children; loving my husband more fervently; exercise. (Which of these is not like the others?) Don't be shy, ladies!! Give me some feedback so we can "encourage one another daily..." (Hebrews 3:13).

Now on to the word for the day:

banal- adj- trite