Do y'all ever hear those words from your children? Okay, so, daily for me too!! And what do you then say to your darling children? Right!! They are being selfish; not thinking of other's interests above their own; they aren't behaving in a Christ-like manner; yada yada yada.

So what do you say when those words come from your OWN mouth? Pretty ugly, huh? By the way, I'm talking about myself, here. The story begins something like this...

An opportunity to minister to someone became available. And my husband, who is very "others serving" (see previous post!) accepted that opportunity for us. At first, I was all for it, thinking how great this would be for our family; what a wonderful opportunity for our kids to see firsthand what it means to serve others; and so on and so forth. And then reality hit- in a big way. This "serving" is going to cut into my routine on a daily basis (gasp). As a matter of fact, some days will be just downright inconvenient. You see the twisted path on which this line of thought travels, right? All of a sudden, this whole thing is about me and not about serving someone else.

And so...let the whining commence!!! And boy, has it! "What about ME? What about MY responsibilities?" Oh, and here's a good one: "What about time for myself?" I realize I am "unzipping" here to reveal some hidden nastiness. Sorry to dash any unrealistic thoughts previously formed!

Enter the book of Romans and good ol' Paul. Thanks, God, for sovereignly placing this man in history and using him for your glory.

"I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me...Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Romans 7:15-20,24,25

Okay, then. You all know what follows is chapter 8 where we find that we are no longer under condemnation if we are in Christ Jesus! So what I really need to do is focus on Christ and not allow my fleshly/selfish desires to gain a foothold in my heart. Isn't the Gospel wonderful?!

Following is a tribute- not exhaustive or in any particular order- to the man I love best (yes, there are other men I love; my dad, for instance, and our 3 "future men"). Happy Valentine's Day, Sweetheart!!

Warning: this post is filled with sappy, mushy overtones and is not for the jaded reader!

1. You are so creative in your expressions of love for me
2. in words, gifts, and actions.
3. "Romance" is not a sissified word to you;
4. in fact, it only enhances your manliness!
5. You look great bald!
6. You look great in jeans!
7. You gave me our children.
8. You love our children.
9. You play with our children.
10. You work tirelessly to provide for our family.
11. You are sensitive toward me if I am a bit "moody,"
12. and gently encourage me not to stay that way.
13. You are unselfish with our resources,
14. and lavishly give to others.
15. You pursue holiness with passion and zeal.
16. You sacrifice for our family.
17. You lead us in godliness,
18. even when it is not popular with others.
19. You love me as Christ loves His church.
20. You are going to watch the children this afternoon
21. so I can prepare for our Valentine's party tonight!!

Ha! A little creative subliminal messaging never hurt anyone!!

I love you honey. Happy Valentine's Day!

Yes, those were the words directed toward me today as I sat in traffic court for 4 hours. WHAT? Did you say "FOUR HOURS"?? Why, yes I did. How did I manage, you ask? Well, let's go back to the beginning...

Rob and I had our anniversary in December. Actually, it is always in December. And in 2005, we celebrated 12 years of marriage. Now, we have a fun tradition where we take turns each year planning our anniversary trip (if there is money) or outing (for those tighter times). Last year was my year to plan. Let me explain that "planning" involves more than just picking a romantic place to spend the night. It also involves setting up childcare for our four children and explaining to them again why they aren't allowed to go on this trip (!!!). So I did all that. I arranged for my sister (Godly, single, gainfully employed, beautiful- contact me privately!!) to keep them the first night and then my parents (wonderful, stereotypical "love my grandkids" type) for the second night. Fast forward through all the fantastic, gorgeous, heart-thrilling, romantic details...

I met my mom halfway to pick up the kiddos and was on my way home when Kirk woke from his van nap disoriented and crying. So I did what every safe-driving attentive mother does: I turned around to see what was the matter. No, it did NOT occur to me to just look into my rearview mirror....And, as you can well imagine, as I turned around to look at Kirk, my right foot just seemed to grow heavier and heavier, if you know what I mean. Next thing I knew, the blue lights were a-flashin'. I pulled over quasi-quickly and put on my best "children-mommy-was-very-wrong-and-this-officer-is-just-doing-his-job" face and proceeded to follow said officer's instructions. The short of it? 78 in a 55 (gulp). In medium-to-heavy traffic (double gulp). In a construction area (triple gulp).

When I came home and told Rob (no, I did not think of hiding it!!), he advised me to go to court, admit my wrong doing, and ask the judge for mercy in reducing the points on my license. "You'll be in and out of there in less than an hour, babe," says he. Needless to say, those words were ringing in my ears the entire 4 hours of my stay in that 50 degree room with no reading material. "In and out in an hour," "In and out in an hour," I mimicked to myself. Sorry, hon- love ya!! And I really do- love him, that is- because he rearranged his schedule this morning to accomodate me and stay home with the kids.

So what happened? Because I have no prior record (imagine me patting self on the back) the judge- sweet, sweet man- lowered my offense to 69 mph and reduced my fine by nearly half!! And no points on my license!! Then he proceeded to look over the rims of his fashionable eyeglasses and remind me of the importance of driving safely at all times, especially when I have my children in the vehicle with me. Then he blessed me, asked me the names and ages of my children and told me to go home to my little ones and be a good mom. WOW!! Was that unexpected?!

In lieu of our Word of the Day, I will just share this apropos verse from Romans.

Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. Romans 13:2-4a

Drive safely gals!!